


Gravity Falls: Invictus

by AspiringArmstrong



Series: Gravity Falls: Reboot [2]
Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: Alternate Universe - Reboot, Emersus, F/M, Multi, Reboot, invictus
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-12
Updated: 2015-06-14
Packaged: 2018-04-04 02:34:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 22
Words: 65,997
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4122715
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AspiringArmstrong/pseuds/AspiringArmstrong
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Set two years after "Reboot" Dipper settles into daily life with his friends while trying to unravel the mystery of the Square that replaced Bill's page. Friends become more and Dipper will make a choice that will change the dynamic of everyone involved.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Shifting Baseline

**Author's Note:**

> If you have not read "Gravity Falls: Reboot" Please do so, as this is the second part of the story!

**_August 10, 2014_ **

“I can’t believe you’re going to… ech, _public school_ again. You’re much too smart. I can talk to my Dean at my prep school, and see if there’s any spare scholarships. We donate enough money to that place I’m sure they owe us a favor. You deserve better Dippy!” Pacifica said, pulling down Dipper’s hat.

“I... will you stop that?” Dipper sighed and re-adjusted his trademark Pinetree hat.

Dipper and Pacifica sat across from each other at Erick’s Malt shop. They’d been having lunch together every Saturday just to catch up. Mabel and Billeah teased him about going on a date, which he feverously denied.

Pacifica smiled and moved a lock of hair back, her necklace glinted, revealing a 14 carat gold Llama that Dipper got her for her birthday last year. She saw it in a shop window on one of their trips and fell in love with it. He used some artful distractions to keep her from buying it right away. When she was trying on clothes, he snuck back and put it on layaway, and spent the next six paychecks at the shack to pay it off. He had it engraved, wishing her many happy memories. He’s never seen her without it since. 

“So, 8th grade…” Dipper sighed.

“I know right? One more year till high school. Then you’ll be off to college, getting your MBA in finance and be buying and selling corporations like day old bread. Instead of slaving away at that… shop.”

“Hey, I like that shop.” Dipper said and flicked a small finger full of whipped cream at her. “And who said anything about me becoming a corporate tyrant?”

“Hey!” Pacifica protested. Dipper’s aim missed and it landed on her purple sweater. Pacifica looked down at it, grabbed a tissue and wiped it up. She’d changed a lot since they first met, once she would have had a conniption over possibly staining one of her designer outfits. “A girl can dream! I can see it now! My Big Dipper, with his stylish eye patch, staring down some overseas shareholders. The sheer force of your presence and gobs of financial backing will terrify them into signing over what little holdings they have. Then you swoop in like a wolf, tearing apart your kill, making three times what the company was worth to begin with. The thought sent shivers up my spine.”

“So, I’m meeting Wendy later,” Dipper said, changing the subject. Pacifica’s eyes were slightly glazed over. “We’re going to the lake. Last summer hurrah and all. You want to come? Mabel, Grenda and Candy will be there. Billeah… is not feeling well.” Dipper smiled.

“You just want to see Wendy in a bikini, don’t you?” Pacifica said. “Oh such competition for your attentions… I might just show up.”

“Oh stop, You know there’s nothing going on.” Dipper chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck.

“Nothing yet... “ She said coyly. “A girl can tell.”

“Tell what?” Dipper asked. Pacifica looked at him and burst out laughing.

“Oh Dippy... “ She said, grabbing her purse. Dipper got up and followed her out of the store.

“New driver?” He asked, looking around for the limo.

“No… You’re turning me into a commoner. I walked here.” Pacifica said proudly, and held out her arm. Dipper looped his inside, and walked together with her.

“You… walked from Northwest Manor?” Dipper said.

“Well… from daddy’s office, but it’s...far.’ Pacifica chuckled. “I am wearing $300 pumps, they don’t do too well with… trekking.”

“You’d think the more expensive the shoe, the more durable they would be.” Dipper pointed out. Pacifica laughed at his observation.

“You don’t understand fashion.”

Pacifica stopped, and turned him to face her. She ran her finger over his eyepatch, and down the scars on his arm.

“I ask you every time… Why do you wear this ugly thing? Why won’t you let me help you?” Pacifica pouted.

“And I tell you every time. I’ve decided it’s who I am. These scars happened to me, it’s my story. My eye will never heal, so why hide it? Besides, I think I got some rugged charm going this way.”

Pacifica moved back next to him and kept walking. It was a few blocks later he saw the Northwest's limo. Walking her to the door, he opened it and helped her in. Before he let go of her hand he bent down, kissed the back of it and bowed.

“Till next Saturday, or if I decide to go to the lake with you… commoners.” She said with a grin.

  
*           *           *

Dipper hiked back to the Shack. He poked his head inside and saw Wendy stocking some shelves. She waved at him, and he returned the gesture. Closing the door, he followed a gravel road from the back of the Shack into the woods.

The forest opened up to a three story house sitting in the clearing.

Mabel was sitting on a swing that hung from an old tree. She saw him walking up to their house, waved and ran up to him.

“Heya Dipperdo! How was your date?” Mabel said with a grin.

“It’s not a date! I told you. We’re just friends. She’s really busy, and so it’s just… convenient to schedule our meetings in five… or six month blocks. Next week, she invited me to a private screening of the new Joss Whedon movie.”

“The superhero one?” Mabel said with stars in her eyes. Dipper shrugged and headed into the house.

“Will you come by and help me with Mom and Dad? It’s… been a while and nature is a cruel mistress.” Mabel said softly.

It took months but the lawyers allowed Stan to take the kids back to their homes and pack up their things. Everyone decided to liquidate the house and most of the assets, They kept most of the furniture and anything they cared about and moved it into their new house.

As part of his contract to work with the portal project, Stan had the government build the kids a new house. Dipper, Mabel and Billeah all had input as to what was needed. It took all year to build but when it was done they had a home of their own.

Stan had a room, but he slept in the Shack most of the time. Mabel somehow talked the architect into building a slide that landed in the kitchen.

Billeah’s room had a giant window that was stained glass with a yellow triangle with an eye. The builders were rather creeped out about that one and couldn’t understand why she would want a triangle shaped window, instead of the traditional square one. Her residence takes up the  entire attic. She had insisted on adding hundreds of cubby holes, each one filled with a porcelain doll, and a display light.

Dipper requested a massive library. He spent most of his free time there, pouring over book after book. He has started his own journal, and had recorded all the changes he could find that resulted in the lack of Bill in this universe. The three journals had a special display case, and right above was a small stand with his grandfather’s Fez under glass.

Mabel built the art room of her dreams. Various drawers filled with glitter, stickers, glue, and hundreds of novelty scissors all kept her creativity flowing well into the late morning. She had a closet full of fabrics, a sewing and embroidery machine, and they would constantly be on ‘pattern hunts’ when they went into Portland once a month to hit the vintage stores.

One of the things everyone insisted on, was building a memorial to their parents. Everyone added a bit of themselves to the design. A simple pyramid in the back yard, the edges etched in vines, and the quote ‘Reality is an illusion, somewhere you’re still with us.’

The odd thing was the area around the memorial seemed to grow ten times faster than normal. Billeah didn’t know but suspected the Square doesn’t like the abnormal shape. Dipper remembered reading in one of his books something called ‘pyramid power’ that allows things to grow and not mold. Billeah didn’t want to help him research that.

“I’m going to get ready, Wendy is coming by in an hour to pick us up.” Dipper said.

“You sure you want me to come?” Mabel said with a grin. Her braces came off last week, so she was smiling even more than she used to.

“Yes, Candy and Grenda are going to be there, you already told them to come.” Dipper chuckled.

“Oh yeah…” She squished her face in glee. “CANDY’s going to be there. She winked.”

“I am one thousand percent sure… that I have no interest in Candy.” Dipper said.

“Ok, I’ll tell Grenda that. She didn’t want to move in on Candy’s territory.” Mabel squealed and ran up to her room. She slammed the door, rocking the whole house. After opening it up she poked her head out and screamed, “Don’t forget to check on Billeah!”

Dipper never forgets to check on her, he’s always worried.

Walking up the spiral staircase that lead to the top floor, There was a single door at the end of the stairs. He gently knocked and opened it.

Under the giant triangle window, Billeah sat in front of her laptop. She methodically clicked away, each new page of information she opened, absorbed and moved onto the next.

“It’s so futile,” She said to him as he walked up behind her. “These wars, the fighting… they don’t realize they’re all strings.”

Dipper hugged her and kissed her head. “They’re humans, everyone’s someone’s string.”

She nodded in agreement, reached up and rested her hand on his chest.

“There’s many strings here, all pulling different ways.” She said softly. Dipper nodded and closed the lid to her laptop. He saw her hand tremble for a moment, then after balling it to a fist and let it go, it was calm again.

“How long this time?” He said kneeling down to meet her eye level.

“I… umm.. fourteen hours.” She said, looking away.

“We talked about this. Remember your first…’set up’? Sixteen screens? You’ve come a long way now.” Dipper said, holding her hands.

“It’s how I see now.” She said, caressing the laptop.

“And that’s ok, but we need you as well. You wanted to be here in the human world, You wanted not to see, to participate. Come with me to the lake. Participate!” Dipper said. Billeah stared at the small netbook. “Bring it with you. You won’t get reception or Wi-Fi, but if you’re having a hard time, just open it and play a game. I promise I won’t get mad.”

“What should I wear?” She said with a smile. Dipper spent the next half hour going over swimsuits with Billeah. They finally decided on a golden two piece she picked up on a shopping trip with Pacifica and Mabel.

“I’ll head out and let you get dressed…” Dipper said. Billeah pulled his hat over his eyes and put her finger over his lips.

“I’ll be quick.” She said. He could hear the rustling of her lacy dress. He tried to keep his mind on other things, but noticed the tiny shadow moving about, absent of the layers of lace that made up most of her clothes.

“How do I look?” Billeah asked with a grin. Dipper pulled his hat back and saw Billeah standing in her two piece. Her flawless skin matched the many dolls whose home was in the walls of her room.

“Perfect, like always.” He said. Before he could stand. Billeah put her hand on his chest, indicating him to stay.

“I… don’t want… this done out there.” She said, handing him sunblock. She moved her hair to the side to allow Dipper her shoulders. He looked at the bottle, it had the highest SPF he’d ever seen. Shrugging he applied it to her shoulders, back and arms. When he was done, Billeah stooed, and faced him.

“Umm…” he said nervously.

“I can do those parts myself.” She said with a grin. “Get dressed, unless you want to watch me.”

Dipper got up and made a hasty retreat out of Billeah’s room. _The girls were getting even crazier_. he thought to himself as he went to his bedroom.

Dipper’s room was slightly bigger than the one he had at home. He had the latest game system, which seemed to be gathering dust in the corner, and all his posters hung up. Dipper looked around at the shrine of his childhood, and felt nothing for any piece in here. He needed to redecorate, put away his childish things. This was no longer him.

Dipper raced to his drawer and pulled out his swimming trunks. He took his shirt off and admired himself. Working in the woods and the Shack had done a number on him. He’s starting to develop noticeable muscles everywhere. The scars still covered almost half of his body, but they healed nicely. The strips had shrunk down to about a hand’s width and matched his skin tone. They were slightly raised and still sensitive around the edges. He still needed to keep them moisturized otherwise they could harden and tear.

“DIIIPPERDOO! Your GIRLFRIEND’s HERE!” Mabel screamed up the stairs. Dipper sighed, grabbed his towel and headed downstairs.

“Mabel, how many times have I told you Wendy’s not…”

“Hi big boy!” Grenda said in her print two piece. “Like what you see?”

“Hey sexy…” Candy said next to her in a blue single. She was primping her hair and giving him a duck face. “I’m cooking what you’re looking”

“No no no… It’s what’s cooking good looking!” Mabel whispered. She was wearing a two piece and had Waddles on a leash. Their 15lb pig now weighed almost 200. He oinked in approval.

“Hahaha… very funny.” Dipper said, rolling his eyes.

Mabel whispered something into Candy’s ear and gave her a wink. Candy walked up to Dipper and gave him an almost desperate look.

“N… notice me, Senpai!” Candy said, and shyly looked away.

“Hey! Mabel! That’s not funny!” Dipper cried, retreating to the front door. “I’m going to wait for Wendy outside!”

Dipper closed the door as the girls erupted in giggles.

“Did I do it right?” he heard Candy ask, only to be answered by more giggles.

Dipper sat down on the porch swing next to Stan. He offered him his beer. Dipper looked at his uncle and raised his eyebrow.

“Kid, I have a feeling you’re going to need it tonight.” Stan said. Dipper took the can, swallowed a swig, and handed it back.

“Still tastes like moldy socks.” Dipper choked.

“She coming with ya?” Stan asked. Dipper nodded. “Good, It was almost like wakening a demon just removing all those monitors from her room. You’re doing good work with her. Sometimes, when she’s hanging out with Mabel, or in the library with you, I almost forget what she is.”

“She’s made some vast improvements. It’s just, I know her as well as I know my sister. She wears many masks around everyone.” Dipper said.

“I’m worried you’re only seeing a mask when you’re alone with her.” Stan said. Dipper nodded in agreement.

“It’s crossed my mind many times.” Dipper said.

“So, going to the lake? We got any adult supervision? I know how my lake parties were…”

“Soos and Melody are going to barbecue. They’ll be here to pick up the girls, so we have supervision.” Dipper chuckled.

“Didn’t you tell me once Soos dressed up in a diaper as the incredible Man-baby for the shack?” Stan asked.

“Ah, the giant question baby. Is he a man? or is he a baby? These are legitimate questions.” Dipper chuckled.

“Oh, you have restored my faith.” Stan said, deadpan.

“He’s become more responsible now that he’s going to be a dad.” Dipper said, grabbing the beer from Stan’s hand and taking another grimacing sip. “Bleah… She’s coming.”

Lights flashed up the gravel driveway, and heard the unmistakable musical stylings of ‘ _Robbie V. and the Tombstones’_ progressively increase. “Looks like my ride is here.”

“I’ll stare disapprovingly for you.” Stan chuckled, holding out his fist. Dipper returned the bump and deftly leapt over the porch rail, tucked into a roll and ran out to meet Wendy and her friends.

“Hey Dip-man!” Robby said from the driver seat of the truck. Tambry was texting on her phone, looked up and gave Dipper a wink. Lee, Nate, Thompson, and Wendy sat in the bed, keeping the various coolers steady. “Hop in back, we’ll get there in no time.”

Dipper climbed in, Thomson scooted over to make room next to Wendy.

“Nah, its cool.” he said, trying to play it cool.

“Don’t be such a nerd!” Wendy chuckled and pulled him next to her.

Thomson clung onto his two coolers and closed his eyes in terror.

“Don’t you guys know it’s illegal to transport people in the back of a pickup?” Thompson said.

“Hey,” Dipper said coolly. “Everything’s legal as long as the cops aren't around.”

Everyone in the back of the pickup roared with laughter. Robbie floored it, kicking up gravel and sped to the highway. Dipper watched his home, and the shack slowly shrink and become lost in the forest of trees that bears his name.


	2. Lake Party

**_August 10, 2014_ **

Dipper listened to the group talk about the local high school gossip. Wendy complained about her dad buying her the pickup truck for her 16th birthday, and not a fuel efficient hybrid.

“It’s bad enough that my dad and brothers single handedly murder thousands of trees a year, we don’t need to choke them to death.” She said.

“We Pinetrees are rather resilient, and can filter out most smog. It’s the cities that need to worry.”

“Someone’s trying to get on your Dad’s good side.” Lee joked. The truck came to a screeching halt, almost tumbling everyone forward. Dipper’s face flew to the side and landed in Wendy’s chest.

“What the hell? Robbie!” Wendy screamed. Dipper frantically moved back, looking dazed and panicked.

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” he stammered.

Wendy didn’t seem to notice or care, she slammed the back glass in frustration.

“Dipper!” Robbie shouted. “What the hell!?”

Dipper stood up and looked over the top of the truck. They were on top of the hill overlooking the lake. Taking up four parking spots was Pacifica’s limo. unlit tiki torches dotted the shore, and he counted six chef stations, five tables with linen table cloths, and a rather ornate pineapple carving as the centerpiece.

“Whoah!” Wendy said in awe.

“That… looks… awesome!” Lee and Nate said in unison.

“Is that… a roast pig?” Thompson said with a look of hunger in his eyes.

“Dipper! Your crazy rich girlfriend is ruining this! It’s supposed to be a lake hangout, not some fancy beach party!”

“Anyone else but Robbie protesting this?” Wendy asked. Everyone shook their head no. “I think you're the only one with a problem. So what if Pacifica wanted to… um… contribute? We were all told to bring something. She just… brought a little bit… more.”

“And she’s not my girlfriend!” Dipper stammered. Robbie looked back at him, unamused and drove forward to the awaiting party.

*           *           *

“Oh my god!” Mabel screamed, running up to Pacifica and giving her a huge hug. “This… is… AWESOME! DIPPER! YOUR SUGAR MOMMA PULLED THROUGH!”

“SHE’S NOT MY SUGAR MOMMA!” Dipper yelled back.

“NOTICE ME! SEMPAI!” Candy screamed. Mabel and Grenda erupted in giggles.

“NO!” Dipper screamed back.

“MY KOKORO IS BREAKING!” Candy screamed, clutching her chest with both hands and swooning.

“YOU GUYS ARE LIKE FIVE FEET FROM EACH OTHER! STOP SCREAMING!” Wendy screamed.

Billeah helped Soos and Melody unload some sodas from the Minivan. Melody was definitely showing, and Soos helped her into one of the chairs.

“Wow, this is some fancy setup.” Soos said. “Thanks Pacifica. We would have been fine with just a barbeque.”

“I just was in the neighborhood.” Pacifica said, sipping her juice. “I figured, summer was ending, and Dipper did invite me, so since I was the first one here, I really didn’t know what was all being brought. So I called my party planner and she told me that a Luau would be perfect for an end summer blast.”

Dipper sat on his blanket near the beach, under an umbrella. Wendy walked up next to him, pulled off her shirt and shorts, revealing a green bikini and sat down next to him.

“One more year…” she said with a sigh.

“Till what?” Dipper asked. She gave him a sideways looked and sighed.

“One more year gone.” She said with a smile. “Have you put on your lotion yet?”

“Oh, umm… I was about to before I went swimming.” He said, pulling out the sunblock he put on Billeah earlier.

“Wow, never seen an SPF that high.” She said after grabbing the bottle away.

“It’s Billeah’s” Dipper said.

“That explains that creepy porcelain look. I thought she just… painted herself white. I’m a ginger, I know about sunburns and white skin, but she puts me to shame.”  She poured some into her hands and rubbed Dipper’s back with it. She took extra care around the edges of his burns. It almost felt like she was tracing them with one finger.

“You haven’t done this since I got out of the hospital.” Dipper said.

“You never asked.” Wendy replied. “I just figured I did a bad job and hurt you or something.”

“No, I just, have a hard time with asking for things.” Dipper said

“I noticed.” Wendy said, pushing him on his back.

“I can get that…” he stammered, but gave in once the lotion touched his chest. She was soft, but efficient with her movements, finishing up quickly to Dipper’s disappointment.

“Let’s see if this brand can handle a ginger’s skin.” She said and tossed it to Dipper. She leaned forward and moved her hair to the side.

“Oh, umm… ok.” Dipper said. He poured some into his hand and warmed it up. Nervously he placed his hands on Wendy’s holders and began to massage the lotion in. He couldn’t stop his hands from trembling.

“Dipper…” Wendy said softly. He paused to listen. “Take a breath, and calm down. You’re shaking like a leaf. Get out of your head.”

Dipper nodded and took a breath. It’s just like putting it on Mabel or Billeah. His hand calmed down and he was able to finish her shoulders and back.

“You have strong hands for a bookworm.” She said coolly.

“Umm… is there… anywhere…” Dipper stammered.

“Cool it, hotshot. I can get the rest myself.” Wendy said, grabbing the bottle. She finished lotioning the rest of herself, and helped Dipper up. “Race ya!”

They both ran full speed ot the lake shore and joined the rest of the group who were swimming and laughing. Billeah, Mabel, Candy and Grenda were all playing with Waddles. Robbie put Tambry on his shoulders and challenged Lee and Thompson to a game of chicken. Lee somehow put Thompson on his shoulders, and fell in a matter of seconds.

“Come on Dipper, We can beat them.” Wendy said and shoved him underwater, hopping on his shoulders. Wendy was able to throw Tambry down before Dipper lost his footing and tumbled over.

Wendy was clinging onto Dipper, laughing with the rest. She gave him a hug and moved his face to look at Pacifica.

“I think I’ve played with you enough, your presence is needed elsewhere.” Wendy said softly in his ear. “Don’t be a jerk and hurt her feelings.”

“We’re just friends…” Dipper said.

“So, go hang out with your friend.” Wendy said, and shoved him forward.

Dipper walked away from the teenagers and sat next to Pacifica at one of the tables. She was drinking some complex juice from the juice bar she brought. Her oversized glasses and Sunhat matched her purple one piece swimsuit, along with purple cork sandals.

“Hey…” Dipper said. Pacifica waved her hand, and one of the servers sat a drink in front of Dipper.

“Thank you…” She said with a smile, and waved him off.

“That’s new.” Dipper said, taking a drink.

“The hat? or the drink?” Pacifica looked confused.

“You talking to the help.” Dipper said with a smile.

“You’re just a bad influence on me.” She said with a smile. “Next thing you know, I’ll be frollicing on the sands, getting my hair wet on some grimey beach.” 

“Would that be so bad?” Dipper asked, taking a drink.

“You wouldn’t like to know how much it costs to get my hair done.” Pacifica said.

“Your parents would be so mad… having to make an unscheduled spa trip.” Dipper said.

“Well, yes, they would.” Pacifica said.

“Yeah, my hair is getting pretty long myself. I should go in and get it done soon.” Dipper said, pulling down his bangs.

“Dippy-poo, your hair doesn’t just need a cut, it need to be put down. How do you even get that ragged mess under your hat?”

“That’s a mystery, isn’t it?” He chuckled.

“Well, I just so happen to know my stylist is going to be free tomorrow, I know it’s unscheduled, but I can have her try and make you presentable for school. It breaks my heart to no end knowing I won’t be there to make sure you don’t commit social suicide.”

“I would only accept that proposal if you were getting some work done yourself.” Dipper said, taking another drink and looking coolly at her. She looked confused for a moment and a grin crept across her face.

“I think we can manage such an arrangement.” She said. With the grace of a pageant queen, she got up out of her chair, folded her towel, and sprinted full speed to the beach.

“Hey! You’re supposed to warn me first!” Dipper called after her.  

*           *           *

Everyone was settling down at the tables. The tiki torches were lit as the sun set over the mountains. The evening stars began to dot the skies, and everyone was in high spirits and having fun.

The servers sliced up the roasted pig and placed portions on silver platters. Everyone grabbed the plates provided and loaded them up with various meats and kabobs. The servers even took the food that everyone brought and set them out to grab. Dipper thought it was funny to see escargot being served next to a bag of Doritos.

“Waddles.. no… no Waddles, Just don’t think about it! WADDLES!” Mabel screamed, Waddles had ran away with her plate of roast pig. Mabel and Billeah were chasing him across the beach screaming for him to let go.

“CANNIBAL PIG ON THE LOOSE! STOP HIM FROM EATING THE FLESH OF HIS OWN KIND!”

Wendy sat next to Pacifica and Dipper with her own plate of food.

“You going to make some crack about waiting thirty minutes after eating before we go swimming?  I’m ready for round 2.” Wendy said with a mouthful of roast pig.

“No… because I like to live on the edge. Last week, I didn’t return my library book. It’s now a week late. I’m probably being fined by the hour as we speak.”

Wendy and Pacifica looked at each other and erupted into laughter.

“I don’t know what’s worse, the idea of you having an overdue library book, or the fact that you’ll probably be the first one to get a cramp!” Wendy laughed.

“Oh honey, if the library fine is too much, I’ll take care of it for you… that’s what sugar mommas do.” Pacifica chided him.

“Oh, haha you two.” Dipper said, getting up to get another plate.

“Wendy… could you tell our dear Dipper the horrors of your high school?” Pacifica said as she cut a bite sized piece and ate it. Billeah returned with her plate of food and sat next to Pacifica.

“Waddles is lost to us…” Billeah said with a straight face. “He has tasted his own flesh, and now will terrorize other pigs. It’s all my fault I fed him bacon years ago.”

“He’ll be fine.” Dipper laughed.

“What’s wrong with my high school?” Wendy asked, clearly frustrated.

“It’s… public school. Dipper needs to go to my school to get the education he deserves. His mind is a terrible thing to waste.” Pacifica said, patting Dipper’s head. She was wearing his Pine tree hat. To Dipper’s astonishment, her hair instantly frizzled out and turned into a blond mess once it touched the water. She had to take a moment to fight back the panic, before she gave into playing in the water. She refused to give his hat back until their appointment tomorrow.

“It’s his choice. There’s nothing wrong with public education.” Wendy said. “He’s not even going to high school next year, he’s got a year left.”

“I’m sure his placement test will put him in 9th grade. or even 10th.” She said confidently.

“Yeah, I’m sure you’d grease the hands of the person grading the tests.” Wendy retorted.

“I would _never!_ ” Pacifica shouted, standing up and glaring at Wendy.

“Hey… sit down,” Dipper said. He needed to interject before there was a huge blowout. “I… was honestly going to finish 8th grade and take that test to graduate high school.”

“WHAT?” Pacifica and Wendy said in unison.

“I’m already working at the Shack, I have no real interest in college. Anything I need to learn I can do it myself. I’ve taken the GED test at home and already passed at a 98th percentile. Why bother going through all that high school stuff and forcing 8hrs a day to be told stuff I already know? I’m going to help Stan with his research, so I need as much free time as I can get.”

Pacifica looked like she was about to cry. Wendy played with her food, looking like she was trying to find something to say.

“Dipper.” Wendy finally spoke up. “It’s not just about learning. No matter what you choose, you’re going to make lasting memories with your friends. Ditching classes, lunchroom food fights, sneaking into the janitor’s closet to… um… hide from the hall monitor.” Wendy said, turning bright red.

“Dippy… promise me you’ll think about it? Even if it’s not with me.”

Dipper sighed.

“What if… I test out of high school and just go to college instead? There are some classes I’m interested in. It’s an education… and I’m advancing, and not… dropping out. Ok?” Dipper said with a smile.

“My Dipper, the wolf of negotiations.” Pacifica said smiling.

“That’d be cool… never dated a college guy younger than me.”

“What?!” Dipper choked on his drink

“What?” Wendy said innocently, taking a drink.

Pacifica glared at her and grabbed her purse.

“Don’t forget our appointment tomorrow.” she said and spun around. “It’s getting late, and I need my beauty sleep.

*           *           *

Dipper looked at himself in the mirror. His hair was cut, washed, blown out, styled and coifed. Billeah and Mabel gawked.

“What… did she do to you?” Mabel said in horror. “You’re prettier than me! Than _ME,_ DIPPER! We had a balance in our relationship. I was the cute one!”

Billieah walked up to Dipper, ran her fingers through his hair and left his room., quietly closing the door behind her.

“I think she’s going to need a minute.” Mabel said. They heard the shower turn on. “Or maybe longer…”

“Why?” Dipper started to ask and shook his head. “No… I don’t want to know.”

“I… just don’t like it. It shows my birthmark. Where’s my hat?” Dipper said, looking around his room for his pine hat.

“How _dare_ you attempt to destroy perfection!” Mabel shouted and lunged for it. “I”m doing this for your own good! Grappling Hook!”

Mabel shot her grappling hook up, looped it around a beam, hooked his hat onto the handle, and pushed the retraction button, pulling his out of reach.

“So, hot stuff, the public wants to know… how’d it go with _Wendy_ yesterday?” Mabel grinned. “I’m a gossip, so it’s your civic duty to feed my unhealthy needs to meddle in others affairs against their better judgement.”

“It’s just Wendy… nothing more.” Dipper said with a grin. “I did, get to lotion her back.”

“Woooo.” Mabel said with a grin.

“Anyway, I’m going to check in with Stan, and see how things are going.” Dipper said.

*           *           *

 

Dipper walked downstairs and found Stan rummaging around in the kitchen.

“I can never find anything in here.” He mumbled.

“How are things at the facility?” Dipper asked.

“You know I don’t like talking about that.” Stan grunted. “But, they’re doing some amazing research. If we had this kind of backing, we would have revolutionized the world!”

“How’s Grandpa,” Dipper asked, “and McGuckin?

“They’re doing ok. Your Grandpa worked out a deal and will be released in three more years if he helps with the project. He’ll still be watched like a hawk, but we’re invaluable to them, and so they offered him a clean slate once he’d done his time.”

“I haven’t heard about the memory project.” Dipper said, pouring himself a glass of orange juice.

“Well, we’ve restored many of them, but often times people are too terrified of what they’ll get back, so have refused the restoration.” Stan said. “How’s Bill...eah? I Can’t get used to calling her that.”

“I may have a plan to find out more of what’s going on, She’s falling further away each day. I think we’re going to lose her if we don’t let her tap into her larger consciousness. It’s like tying your finger too tight, eventually it will fall off.” 

“I don’t like it, but let’s hear your plan.” Stan said,

“Safe word.” Dipper said with a grin.

“What the hell do you know about safe words? Have you been looking through my things?” Stan glared at him.

“What? I don’t… No! Why would I?” Dipper stammered. Stan laughed and waved him to stop.

“I think I know where this is going, It might work, but we’ll have to work everything exactly right to ensure no loopholes can be exploited.”

Dipper pulled out Journal 3 and flipped it to an empty page. He and Stan began discussing the proper wording to allow Billeah a chance to tap into her higher self, while creating a safe word that would cut her off should anything crazy start to happen.

“I think that should work… I can’t find anything wrong with it. I still only want you do it during emergencies. who knows what ramifications this will have.”

Dipper nodded.

There was a loud pounding on the door that startled everyone.

“OPEN UP, DIPPER!”

“That’s Wendy.” Dipper said, looking at the clock. It flashed 3am. “What’s she doing out here this late?

He got up, and was met by Mabel, Billeah and Stan. Opening the door, Wendy was hyperventilating and in tears. She was holding her arm, and blood was running down it.

“Dipper… There was an accident… Robbie’s… Robbie’s hurt bad!


	3. Mourning

**_August 12, 2014_ **

Dipper ran to the kitchen and pulled out the first aid kit. Stan ran off into the woods while Mabel called 911. Billeah stared out the window, looking for signs the paramedics.

“What happened?” Dipper asked as he helped Wendy out of her flannel shirt, and saw a huge gash trailing down her arm. He could see shards of glass sticking out. it was too deep for him to remove safely. “We got to keep that in, or it could start bleeding real bad.”

Wendy nodded and winced as he poured a bottle of alcohol down her arm.

“He was driving me home after dropping off Tambery and the rest. I remembered I left my bag at the Shack, so we made a detour here. Something jumped out in front of us, he swerved and we hit a tree. I was thrown from the truck. My phone was smashed, and i couldn’t call for help. Robbie was so still; he just laid there, like he was asleep.”

“Mabe... can you get me one of your big sweaters?” Dipper asked. Wendy sat on their coffee table in only her bra; while Dipper did the best he could to stop the bleeding. “GET ME ONE YOU DON’T MIND LOSING!”

“Dipper!” Wendy cried, grabbing hold of him. He did his best to return the hug without touching the hastily patched arm.

“They’re coming” Billeah said, and pointed. Red and white light flashed in the distance then turned and stopped.

“Here!” Mabel said, tossing an unadorned red sweater. “I never had time to Mabelize it.”

Dipper nodded and cut out the left arm, all the way to the shoulder. He gently helped Wendy slide it on over her head. It should keep her warm if she lost more blood than he’d seen, and keep the damaged part opened for more professional people to tend it.

“Another one is here, and coming up the driveway.” Billeah said, pointing outside. She rushed over to Wendy, touched both of her cheeks with her palms, and stared deep into her eyes.

“Dipper, your cousin’s starting to freak me out.” Wendy said

“There are lots of strings, I can’t see anymore, but…” She trailed off and opened the door to let the paramedics in.

“Mabel, get your bags and get the journals, I’m think we’ll need them.” Dipper said. Mabel ran into his library and came back with her backpack and nodded.

The paramedics rushed in, loaded her on a stretcher and wheeled her out of the house. Wendy kept reaching for Dipper, but he was shoved aside and the doors slammed shut. The ambulance tore away down the gravel path and Stan was running full speed to the kids.

“They found the kid and the truck. He’s being taken to the hospital. I’m afraid it’s not looking too good.” Stan said solemnly. “Also, I found this by the crash.”

Stan held out his hand to reveal a torn scrap of light turquoise blue fabric. Dipper, Billeah and Mabel said in unison. “Gideon.”

*           *           *

“So…” Stan said, rubbing the bridge of his nose. “This little… Gideon was a competitor of the Shack, and had a Tent-o-telepathy? He had a crush on Mabel, and access to Journal 1. He proceeded to almost kill Dipper, and you threw the gem out a window, shattering it.

“Yes.” Dipper said

“No.” Mabel said.

“What?” They said in unison. 

“Some weird raccoon thing grabbed the gem and pulled it into the woods. We searched for it for weeks, but couldn’t find it.”

“Alright, we’ll table that. Later Mabel and Soos watch Gideon summon Bill to invade Stanford’s mind…”

“What?” Mabel asked. “He just tried to break in and steal the safe that had the deed. There were a bunch of bikers, but Dipper finished his Manotaur training, and was able to call on them to fight the biker gang.”

“Wait. I killed the multi-bear?” Dipper asked horrified.

“What? No! You brought the bear out of the cave and showed them the power of modern pop songs! You proved to them that a man sticks to his principles, no matter what others say.”

“And they bought that?” Dipper asked.

“Well, you still had to do a final trial… You wouldn’t stop screaming in the middle of the night for three days.” Mabel said, Billeah nodded in agreement.

“And the giant Gideon mech after he got control of the shack?” Stan asked “You too are in agreement with that?”   

“Yeah, pretty much.”

“So… we need to check on Gideon. I’ll call Agent Trigger and Powers and see what’s going on with him.”

Dipper set out Journal 3 and turned to his transcribed circle with Bill.

‘We have a small problem…” Dipper said, pointing to the Star with an eye in it. “He’s part of the circle.”

Stan looked at Billeah and nodded. Dipper took a pen, and wrote Lil’ Gideon next to the symbol, and filled in the rest. Stan, Grandpa, McGucket, Pacifica, Robbie, Soos, Mabel, Himself.

“Who’s the bag of ice?” Stan asked. Everyone shrugged.

“Dipper thinks it’s Wendy, but we really don’t know.” Mabel said. Stan looked at Billeah who shrugged.

“We need to be at the hospital,” Dipper said grabbing the phone. “You go look into Gideon.”

“Who ya calling this late?” Stan asked.

“I was going to call Soos to have him take us down there.” Dipper said.

“Dipper,” Mabel said, “He’s just got to sleep, and he’s with Melody. You know how he worries.”

“Fine, I’ll give Pacifica a call.”

*           *           *

Dipper, Mabel, Pacifica and Billeah waited with the Corderoys and the Valentinos. Tambry and Lee arrived shortly after. They said the others couldn’t make it.

The doctor came out and told them Wendy was fine, and would be released in the morning. They could visit her three at a time.

When it was Dipper’s turn, Mabel and Billeah accompanied him.

“Hey Dipper,” Wendy said, her eyes were dilated. The arm that had glass in it was stitched and bandaged. He was relieved she was okay. “I wanted to thank my hero. The doctor said your patch job probably saved my arm. The glass was near some nerves that wouldn’t be good to cut.”

“No problem,” Dipper said with a smile. Just as he was about to say something. There was a blackout, and the ground shook. It lasted only five seconds, but when the lights were on. Billeah’s hands were covering her face.

“A string is cut! A STRING IS CUT! The circle is broken! The barrier is weakened! Don’t you see?”

Outside the room, a flood of nurses and doctors ran by. Mabel peeked out the door and called back. “I think something is going on with Robbie.”

Dipper looked out himself and saw the Valentinos, people he knew as the happiest and most cheerful people in town, burst into tears as the doctor was talking to them. He knew that they had lost their son.  

“Dipper…” Wendy said. “Dipper, talk to me. Don’t just stand there. What’s going on!”

He could only look back at Wendy. He didn’t have to say anything, her face told him she knew what he would say. All he could do was hug her as she cried into his shoulder.

Mabel was holding Billeah who was crying uncontrollably. She pulled out her phone and was talking to it. Dipper couldn’t tell what she was saying, but she looked resolved.

*           *           *

_Where am i?_

_Dipper was floating in blackness. He felt something move just outside his field of view. He spun around looking for the source of the scuttling noises, but couldn’t._

_Suddenly, a blue flame burst forth in front of him. It got bigger and bigger, and he could hear laughter everywhere. The laughter send chills to his core, and his hindbrain screamed to run._

*           *           *

“DIPPER!” Mabel screamed.

Dipper jerked awake, soaked in sweat.

“You were having that dream again.” She said, with a sad look.  “It’s been a week straight. Pull yourself together. We have to get ready.”

Dipper showered and dressed in the suit Pacifica helped him pick out. Summer was almost over. Two more days before school started, and it ended with laying to rest a good friend of his.

He joined the rest of his family in the living room, and they all sat in silence looking at the clock. The sounds of crunching gravel broke the deafening silence. Looking up, he saw Pacifica’s limo pull up to the house. She insisted she be allowed to pick everyone up, as no one was truly fit to drive in their emotional distress. Stan felt uneasy that everyone would be crammed in together, should Gideon make another attack, it’s be easy to off a good section of the circle.

Mabel said it would be a good idea, so Stan caved and joined them. The group was greeted by Wendy, her brothers, Pacifica, and the rest of the teens. No one spoke, but each exchanged handshakes and hugs.

There had been many trials to strike the townsfolk of Gravity Falls, Oregon but burying one of their own was always the hardest. Dipper’s stomach told him that would not be the last time he would wear this suit.

The limousine drove off down the path to the main road, and in the direction of the Gravity Falls cemetery.


	4. The Duck Quacks Twice In The Moonlight

**_August 15, 2014_ **

Dipper could barely pay attention to the sermon. He stared at the open casket and felt numb all over. He expected everyone in town to be sobbing and crying, but no one really shed a tear. It was sobering. His parents ran the funeral parlor, and had attended their son’s body. The seemed to smile less, and held each other hands during the reverend’s speech.

Wendy, Tambry and the rest of the teens sat in the row behind Dipper and his family. He wanted to look back and see how they were doing, but he knew his attention needed to be forward.

He felt a squeeze on his shoulder, and looked back, Wendy gave him a smile. He set his hand on top of hers and gave her one too. She twisted her hand to be palm to palm and interlocked her fingers. Dipper felt paper in his hand. She gave him a strong stare to make sure he understood, and withdrew her hand, leaving the note she slid to him safely invisible from watching eyes.

Dipper slid it inside his jacket pocket and listened as almost everyone in town went to the podium to share stories, or memories of Robbie.

“We all knew he was the one who spray painted the muffin on the water tower.” Sherif Blubs said with a chuckle. “We didn’t have the heart to let him know he left one of his CDs up there. I never knew why he was always so angry with everything.”

“When I met Robbie, we were on the playground in third grade.” Lee said, clearly struggling “Some other kids were kicking dirt on me. Robbie ran up and chased them way. He was always cool, confident, and full of heart, even if he acted like he shunned everything, it was…. just Robbie.” 

Dipper smiled as Lee sat down. They heard from almost the whole town. Each one telling an anecdote or story, each a fond memory of the man Dipper only barely knew. He wished he spent more effort getting to know him than fighting with him for Wendy’s affection.

He watched Wendy walk to the podium, look down at Robbie’s sleeping face and smile.

“I knew Robbie as long as I’ve known all of you. He has been a constant in our lives, binding us together. He was a piece of all of us. I can tell everyone a funny story or joke to lighten the mood, but we all know things happen in this town… things we want to unsee or unknow… but, I will never unsee Robbie in my life, or forget him. This town, we all know secrets, and that’s something we do, we keep them. Maybe… we’ll have one more that as a collective we know, but never speak of.”

Wendy couldn’t hold her tears back, and ran down the aisle and out the door. Tambry made her way on stage with a confused look, but smiled to everyone and began her turn.

Tambry talked about Robbie, the same as everyone else, but Dipper’s mind tuned it out. He kept thinking about what Wendy said, and the way she was acting. He fidgeted with the paper in his pocket, and wanted to pull it out, but Mabel kept looking over at him. No matter how curious he was, he needed to sit here and respect the passing of his friend.

*           *           *

The wake was held at the funeral home Mr. and Mrs. Valentino owned. Everyone ate food, talked and laughed. A large picture of Robbie hung in the center of the room. Dipper excused himself from Pacifica and Billeah and made his way to the bathroom.

Once inside, he withdrew the note from his pocket and opened it.

_Meet me tonight at midnight graveside. Bring the books.  
-W _

Dipper’s fingers went numb. Wendy’s speech made more sense now. He knew what she was going to ask him to do. He only raised the dead once, and that was to prove to Agent Trigger and Agent Powers the book was real, and it almost killed half the town.

Dipper needed to talk to someone about this. If he didn’t show, who knew what Wendy would do. For now he needed to go out and mingle.

Splashing some water on his face, he adjusted his tie and walked down the hall to regroup at the wake.

He grabbed a plate, took a few pieces of shrimp and a sandwich and sat down at one of the tables. As he was eating, he saw Wendy was talking to Mr. and Mrs. Valentino. They seemed to be having a serious discussion, and Wendy kept looking behind her nervously.

“Hey…” Someone said behind him. Dipper almost spilt his juice all over his suit. Looking up, Pacifica stood behind him, smiling. “This seat taken?”

“Even if it was, it’s yours now.” Dipper said. He stood up and pulled out her chair. She sat down and took a drink of her juice.

“I hardly knew him… I spent some time with him at the lake party. He seemed… quaint.” Pacifica said. “I don’t understand why… I just feel something’s missing.”

“Me too. When I first moved here he was kinda cool. Then he got this CD and was trying to brainwash Wendy into liking him. After I stopped him, we had a huge competition to win her over…” Dipper said, pushing some of his food around with a fork.

“I see.” Pacifica said. Dipper looked over to her. He swore she had a hurt look on her face.

“That was years ago.” He added with a chuckle. “I was twelve and impressionable.”

“I… hope it’s not… inappropriate to ask.” Pacifica said, twisting her napkin. “This being a time of mourning and all.”

“What?” Dipper said.

“Well, everyone’s gone for the week. Mom and Dad went to some function in New York. The house is really big and really empty. All this… I don’t want to be alone.” Pacifica said.

“Do you want to stay the night with us? Mabel and Billeah would love to have you.” Dipper said with a smile.

Pacifica closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. She put on a smile and nodded. Dipper could tell that’s not the answer she wanted, but she accepted the compromise.

“Look, I’d love to come over tonight and hang out.” Dipper said, grabbing her hand. “I really would. I have some research to do in the woods later, and I don’t know how long I’ll be. I’d rather you be at my place anyway. I can’t tell you much but trust me ok?”

“I can come help… whatever you’re doing. I’ve become more capable.” Pacifica said, she had an almost desperate pleading look in her eyes.

“I think you would do better staying with Mabel and Billeah till I get back. I’m… I’m meeting Wendy. She asked me to come to the graveyard. I’m worried she’s going to do something crazy, or ask me to do something crazy.”

“All the more reason I should come and talk some sense into you.” Pacifica said defiantly. “We all know how you get around her, and if she’s crying and asking you to… oh god.” Pacifica said, covering her mouth. “Dipper!”

Dipper stared at the food on his plate.

“Is that what she’s going to ask you to do? Remember the Karaoke party? I thought her speech was ominous.” Pacifica said. “No, you mustn't go.”

“I’m going to weigh my options.” Dipper said softly. “Robbie is… important. Not just to his family and friends, but really… really important. Just like you. I’m not going into this half-cocked. I’m going to go over my options with Stan and see what he thinks.”

“Ok, that’s fine.” Pacifica said, jamming her fork into a cooked carrot. The scraping sound made Dipper wince. “I’m going with you, and I won’t take no for an answer.”

Dipper sighed and relented. Maybe she was right, Dipper could have all the best intentions. But, if Wendy was crying and begged him, he might cave. It was hard to tell his first love no.

“You better eat, you’re going to need it tonight,” Pacifica said sternly.

“Hey guys!” Mabel said, sitting down next to Pacifica, Billeah followed close behind and sat next to Dipper.

“What’s going on?” Billeah asked.

“We’re going to have a slumber party.” Pacifica said with a grin. Billeah and Mabel gave a quiet cheer and dug into the food on their plate. Dipper forced himself to eat, each bite felt like it wanted to crawl back up every time he looked over at Wendy, who was still talking to the Valentinos. 

*           *           *

“DIPPER!” Mabel screamed. “WHAT IS IT WITH YOU AND RAISING THE DEAD? DO YOU NOT REMEMBER THE KARAOKE PARTY?”

“What happened at the Karaoke party?” Stan asked.

“Oh, it was a big event that we had to bring people to the Shack.. I asked Dipper one thing, not raise the dead… and what does he do?

“Raise the dead?” Stan said.

“EXACTLY!” Mabel said. “Took all of us to kill them all again and keep the townies from finding out. Luckily they thought it was part of the act…”

“Hey, what happened with the Puppet show?” Dipper asked, remembering how hopeful Mabel was about the failed show due to Bill’s attempts at getting the Journals.

“Oh that? It went off without a hitch. After my first date with Gabe, I found him to be a little creepy. He had me wear a puppet of myself, and would only talk to me through his own sock puppet. Then it got _weird_.”

“How did it get any more weird?” Dipper asked. “Because, that is in itself five levels below creepy.”

Mabel and Billeah grinned at each other and shrugged. 

“But the laptop… in my version, I summoned Bill to tell me the password. He possessed me and tried to steal the journal and your show went down in flames. There was literal fire in your show.”

“You said the timer ran down, you got frustrated and threw it across the room, and found the thingy that lead you to McGucket repairing the laptop.”

“Huh…” Dipper said.

“I don’t think this will be a good idea.” Billeah said. “The string is broken and cannot be re-tied. There is a hole in the barrier. Even if he’s brought back, it won’t be filled.”

“If we make a deal, could he be restored?” Dipper asked Billeah. Her eyes went wide as she wrung her hands.

“Please… don’t say it so casually.” Billeah said. “I could… raise him, but you already can with the books, or we can go back to before.”

“Stop… stop… reel it back.”  Stan said. “Dipper, I may have given you my journals, but you’re not exactly an expert at all of this yet. I get Robbie’s death is going to be hard on you kids, but you know this is a bad idea.”

“Can you go over the entries with me? Maybe we can find a way to focus only on him? Honestly, Robbie would love to be a zombie.” Dipper said hopefully.

“Dipper! This isn’t like bringing a puppy home! Who’s going to keep him and where are we going to get the brains he needs to sustain him? I’m sure as hell not donating mine.”

“I thought about that.” Dipper said. “And one of the conditions I will have, is the Valentinos know what is happening. They’re funeral directors, they’ll have access to people who have … passed on.” 

“Why don’t we get a bunch of the government guys to surround the graveyard with flamethrowers!” Mabel said with a gleam in her eye. Clearly she’s imaging using one as we speak. “That way if Dipper screws it up, we’re covered.”

“I can’t believe we’re having this conversation… and that it’s gone on this long.” Stan said rubbing his temples. “Dipper, we all love you, and we all know you’re going to do what you are going to do. You make your choice, but know this, I don’t like cleaning up messes, and I hate cleaning up others messes. If you cause a Zombie apocalypse I swear to god I will throw you into a portal for thirty years. You got me?”

Dipper nodded just as they heard a knock on the door.

“Who’s that?” Stan asked.

“My chaperone.” Dipper said with a smile.

Mabel and Billeah got up and rushed to the door. Ripping it opened, they pulled Pacifica inside and attacked her with hugs. Stan and Dipper gave each other a sideways glance at the six bags of luggage behind her.

“Something you need to tell me? Cause, I got a shotgun.” Stan said.

“She’s only staying the night. Her parents are gone, and the funeral really shook her up.”

“So… you’re sleeping in the library... with the door locked... from the outside.” Stan said, taking a drink of his beer. “I think i have a few planks I can hammer up too…”

“She’s just a friend.” Dipper said.

“Right…” Stan sighed. “Lets get the books and start going through them. We got a few hours before you leave and possibly end the world… again.”

“But this time I have your guidance and wisdom!” Dipper said as they walked to the library.

“HA!” Stan said. “You think I got stuck in the portal for 30 years due to wisdom and discretion?”

“Could we get a flamethrower sent here before I head out?” Dipper said, closing the door to the library.

*           *           *

Dipper loaded the golf cart up with shovels, torches, and the backpack with his journals. Pacifica tossed her backpack next to his and sat down in the back seat. Dipper turned the cart on and looked back at her, raising an eyebrow.

“Oh, sorry…” She said with a sheepish grin while moving up to the front seat. “It’s just… I never get to ride up front.”

“I’ll make a commoner out of you yet.” Dipper said, adjusting his hat and flooring the golf cart.

Pacifica leaned out the side and shook her hair in the oncoming wind. Dipper looked at her for a moment and was amazed how beautiful she looked when she smiled. She looked back at him and pulled her head back in.

“You and your adventures…” She said, looking at her nails. “All I wanted was a nice quiet evening. A roaring fire, some music...”

“Sounds nice,” Dipper said. “Next time.”

“Next time…” Pacifica said with a smile. “It’s just, you show me _such_ a good time.” Dipper noticed some condescension in the world ‘such. “I just... would like to show you some things that interest me.”  

“Oh?” Dipper said, looking at her with a smile, He only took his eyes off the road for a moment and screamed “DUCK!”

“What?” Pacifica asked, “We can have duck…”

“No! DUCK!” Dipper pointed ahead. There was a twenty foot red duck with glowing red eyes, fangs and two fangs protruding from it’s bill. Dipper slammed on the brakes turned the wheel, causing the cart to go into a spin. The force threw dipper and pacifica out of the cart, causing it to slam into the monstrosity.

Dipper landed in the embankment of the road. He scrambled up the side and instantly spied his backpack. The demonic duck stood up, and waddled forward, crushing the cart and lumbered towards the journals.

“Pacifica!” Dipper screamed

“I’m okay!” She cried out from the other side of the road.

“He’s going after the Journals. Distract him!” Dipper screamed and sprinted full force to his backpack.

“Hey you oversized foie gras!” Pacifica said. He saw a small rock fling at breakneck speed and smack it in the eye. “Over here!”

Pacifica ran the opposite of Dipper, holding her putter. She tossed a handful of small  rocks on the asphalt and lined up a shot. He was amazed at her accuracy as each rock struck the demonic duck in the eye, followed by the last shot going right up it’s nose.

Dipper grabbed the backpack and slid to the other side. He shoved his hand inside and fumbled around until he found what he was looking for.

“Dipper! I’m out of rocks!” Pacifica yelled.

“Hold tight!” He screamed and withdrew a flashlight with a shattered crystal that was glued together attached to the end. He flipped the crystal and ran into the street, facing the giant duck.

“HEY DUCK!” he screamed. The duck lumbered around and let out a thunderous quack. Dipper held up the flashlight and flipped it on. The beam pierced through the crystal, illuminating the fowl. “OUT OF THE WAY PACIFICA!”

He saw, to his relief, Pacifica dive into the underbrush. The duck gave a monstrous quack and glowed. it’s size shrinking. Dipper walked forward, bombarding the duck with the unearthly light until it was the size of a golf ball. It lay dazed on the asphalt, twitching it’s leg.

“This is for ruining my date!” Pacifica screamed and whacked the duck with her putter. They both watched the duck soar into the woods, out of sight.

“I think your swing cuts a little to the left.” Dipper said. Pacifica screamed and threw her putter into the woods.

“You ok?” Dipper asked. Pacifica stormed to the destroyed golf cart and gathered her things.

“Let’s go!” She said and started walking ahead. Dipper picked up what little gear he had left and chased after Pacifica.

*           *           *

“Of all the nerve… stupid duck… I swear I’m going to eat his family…” Pacifica mumbled. Her mood didn’t seem to improve as she stomped her way down the road. It was only a mile to the graveyard and they were making good time, he just worried her state of mind might jeopardize why she was here.

“Pacifica!” Dipper called out.

“WHAT!?” She screamed turning to face him.

“Oh… um...’ Dipper stammered. She’s been mean, dismissive, and passive aggressive to him before they became friends, she’s never screamed at him before. “It’s nothing. I’m sorry.”

Dipper moved forward, head down and past her.

“Dipper!” She said, her tone changed. “Dipper, I’m sorry I snapped at you.”

“No!” Dipper said, “No, it’s my fault, all of this is my fault. I shouldn't have let you come. You almost got eaten by a twenty foot duck. How? How does that happen?”

“Dipper,” she said with a smile. “You act like you had a choice. You know I get what I want.”

“Look, I can handle it from here, Why don’t you head back home? Or call your car? I can wait with you to make sure you get home safe.”

“It’s too late, we’re already here.” She said, pointing ahead. “But… before we go in. There’s something I need to say.”

Dipper turned to look at her. She came forward, wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her lips to his.

Dipper’s head was awash with emotions; he wrapped his arms around her and held her.

Pacifica pulled away, and ran her thumb across Dipper’s lips. He was stunned, confused, and any sort of focus he had was torn away.

“I’m sorry, Dipper.” she whispered. “I just wanted to be first in something…”

Without saying another word, she gathered her bag, and walked ahead of him. He had to take a moment to gather his thoughts and trotted after her. Pacifica held up her end of the deal, she had ensured his mind was not focused only on Wendy.


	5. Ungrateful Dead

**_August 15, 2014_ **

Dipper and Pacifica found the gate to the cemetery opened. They saw lights in the distance and heard voices, but couldn’t distinguish what they were saying. Dipper held out his hand to Pacifica, but she moved forward, leading the way.

“Oh… okay,” he muttered to himself, trotting behind her.

They made their way to the lighted area. They heard a generator running, and three large spot lights attached to tripods shown down on Robbie’s grave. Dipper felt sick. Manly Dan and Mr. Valentino were shoveling out dirt into a pile. Wendy stood next to Mrs. Valentino, whose face bore a hopeful smile. Dipper was unnerved by an almost fanatical look in her eye.

“Oh hey Dipper! We’re almost done.” Wendy said with a smile. Immediately it fell away once she noticed Pacifica was with him. ‘What’s _she_ doing here?”

“I’m here to make sure Dipper’s head is on straight and he doesn’t wind up raising the whole graveyard trying to impress you.” Pacifica said and flipped her hair.

“Ohhhkay.” Wendy said. “Whatever. So, you brought the journals?”

Dipper could have sworn Manly Dan’s rhythmic digging changed the minute his daughter mentioned the book.

“I have what I need.” Dipper said with a smile. His intuition felt like it was screaming. He had written down the directions on a notepad ahead of time. He brought the journals only as a precaution.

“Well…” Mrs. Valentino said with a smile. “My husband and I were prepared for something like this. You know how teenagers are… so reckless. You can sit back and watch, we’d like to try a few things ourselves first.”

 “Dipper…” Pacifica said, she clung to his arm and pulled herself close to him. He put his hand on her’s to reassure her while Manly Dan shoveled the last bit of dirt.

“Think we’re here.” he said.

Mr. Valentino rolled over a metal frame. Attached was a pulley and some hooks. Manly Dan linked up the hooks to the straps that was used to lower the Coffin earlier. The wench was turned on and it lifted the wooden box that carried their friend.

“Mr. and Mrs. Valentino, are you sure you want to do this? He’s never going to age, he’s going to eat brains… or some other life force.”

“He always did want to be a zombie… every Halloween, walking around saying “Braaains…. braaains.” Mr. Valentino said with a chuckle. “Lucky for him, we’ve been saving up!”

“What?” Dipper stammered.

“Well, we didn’t want to waste them… we got a whole freezer full. enough to last between interments.”

“Dippy… give me your hat... I think I’m going to be sick.” Pacifica said, reaching for Dipper’s hat. He pushed her hand way.

“Dipper, you’re worrying too much. We’re all ok with it. It’s not like having a zombie hanging around the arcade is going to change much of anything around here.” Wendy said. Everyone nodded in agreement.

There was a flash of red and white light behind the group. Everyone froze and they saw a police cruiser pull up the driveway path to the edge of the graveyard section. Sheriff Blubs and Deputy Durland got out of the car and walked forward to the group.    

“We had ourselves a report of a demolished golfcart. Had a ‘Mystery Shack’ bumper sticker on it.” Sheriff Blubs said. “You know anything bout that mess? It’s obstructing traffic.”

“Sheriff Blubs, there was a twenty foot demonic duck in the road… It almost killed us.” Dipper said.

“Uh… huh. And where is this duck now?” Deputy Durland said.

“Uhg…” Pacifica groaned. “Dipper shrunk it down with a flashlight thingie, and I whacked it into the forest with my golf club.”

“I’m going to have to give you a warning, There’s an ordinance about golfing outside of the range. It can be very dangerous.” Deputy Durland said to Pacifica. “And what are you fine folks up to this evening?”

“Oh, Deputy Durland, We’re just reanimating our son!” Mrs. Valentino said with a smile.

“Ohh, is that all? Mind if we hang out here, and officiate the procedure? I never witnessed no raising the dead before. Will be nice to have Robbie around to… motivate.” Sheriff Blubs said with a chuckle. 

“Oohhh we can officiate as officers in an official capacity..” Deputy Durland said with a cackle and knee slap.

“The more the merrier… You don’t mind donating a little blood do you?” Mrs. Valentino asked, and produced a long wavy bladed knife. “We just need a little from your palm.”

She approached Sheriff Blubs with the knife and a silver bowl. He held out his hand and she drew the tip across his life line. He made a fist, and squeezed out a good sized dripping of blood without wincing. Deputy Durland did the same, as well as Manly Dan, and Mr. Valentino.

“Wendy, dear…” She said, holding out the jar. Wendy looked mortified and over to Dipper. He shook his head no.

“I… I think you have plenty.” Wendy said, backing up and moving next to Dipper. Mrs. Valentino shrugged, and sliced her hand, draining a good sized amount into the bowl.

 “I just thought you’d want to be a part of Robbie.” She said and smiled. “We’re about to start.”

Wendy moved to a bag that was next to the generator and rummaged through it. Dipper saw Robbie’s trademark black hoodie with the red broken heart on the chest. She hugged it, and moved next to Dipper and Pacifica.

“I really think this is a bad idea.” Pacifica whispered. “Even worse than you doing it.”

“Do you feel that?” Dipper said. “Something’s not right.”

Everyone gathered around the coffin. Manly Dan opened the casket, revealing Robbie, who still looked like he was just asleep.

Mrs. Valentino handed out 3x5 notecards to everyone. Dipper read the incantation and pulled out his notebook.

“This… this isn’t right.” He whispered.

“Dipper, why do you think you’re the only one who can handle anything weird like this? Mr. and Mrs. Valentino have studied death all their lives. They’ve searched long and hard, finding a way to bring someone back. Let them try for their son!” Wendy hissed.

“And I thought _you_ had a one track mind…” Pacifica said.

Manly Dan and Mr. Valentino stood across from each other while Sheriff Blubs and Deputy Durland stood equal distance, forming a square around the coffin. Mrs. Valentino stood in the center, and they all began to chant. She held the bowl high above her head, chanting in an unknown tongue.

“Dipper, I feel… I feel really sick. I need to sit down.” Pacifica said, and felt to her knees. Wendy looked even more pale than her. She put her hand on Dipper’s shoulder and steadied herself.

 The sky seemed to unzip and rain began to drizzle down. Lightning thrust into the ground near them, bolts danced across the cemetery, until one blasted down into the bowl, and arced into Robbie’s chest.

“Dipper…” Wendy said, and fell on the grass.

Dipper could feel it too. Like his essence was being pulled away. Why weren’t the others being affected? Could it be the blood they offered? Since they refused the sacrifice maybe the ritual was taking something else?

“He’s back!” Screamed Mrs. Valentino over the roaring storm. He saw Robbie’s face move and twitch. His eyes fluttered opened and he turned his head.

“Mom?” he asked, sitting up. “Mom what’s going on?”

Dipper defiantly stood up as Robbie sat up from the coffin. The rain stopped as suddenly as it started, leaving the ground muddy and everyone soaked to the bones.

“Good to have you back son.” Sheriff Blubs said and patted a confused Robbie on the back.

“What… I remember crashing.” Robbie said, Dipper helped Pacifica up, then Wendy. Mrs. Valentino helped Robbie to his feet and out of the coffin.

“Mom?” he asked again.

“Yes, there was an accident. You… well, It was bad. Your father and I made you better now. There will be some… adjustments, but I’m sure you’ll be just fine. Everyone knows how to keep secrets in this town.” Mrs. Valenteno said and hugged her son.

“Oh… umm okay. So what? Am I like a zombie or something?” Robbie asked, flexing his fingers.

“Or something.” She agreed with a smile.

“Oh, hey Wendy, Lil’ Dip. Pacifica? What are you doing here?” Robbie looked genuinely surprised.

“We came to help, but it looked like we weren’t needed.” Dipper said. Wendy took a step forward and held out Robbie’s hoodie.

“What's that?” He asked, eyeing the shirt suspiciously. “I know you mean well, but that’s just not my thing.”

Wendy’s jaw dropped as Robbie walked away. His parents followed after him, laughing and talking to him. Manly Dan pushed the empty coffin into the hole, causing a loud crash as it landed awkwardly and split in half. He shrugged it off and shoveled dirt from the pile back into the grave.

“Not his thing? What’s not his thing? The hoodie? What?” Wendy stammered. “Such a JERK!”

“Wendy…”Dipper said, and moved to comfort her. Pacifica grabbed him and pulled him away.

“That’s not something you can fix.” she said, pulling out her phone. her thumbs flew at lightning speed as she sent her text. “Trust me, I’ve cried those tears many times. Give her a few days, and she’ll be better.”

Dipper pulled away and knelt next to Wendy.

“I’m sorry.” He said.

“It’s… okay. Tell Stan I’m not coming in tomorrow, or probably the next day.” Wendy said between sobs.

“Take as much time as you need. When you’re better, we have to talk.” Dipper said. He picked up Robbie’s hoodie and carried it back to where Pacifica stood impatient.

“What did I say?” she asked. Dipper just nodded and headed to the front gate.

“I was impressed with the way you sent that duck flying…” Dipper said with a chuckle.

“That was years of training and probably a hundred thousand dollars’ worth of coaching.” Pacifica said with a chuckle.

“I wonder if the golf cart is insured for giant duck attacks.” Dipper said, staring at the hoodie.

“You can just tell them it got... quacked up.” Pacifica said with a giggle. 

They got to the front gate and sat down on the curb.

“I assume your chariot is on it’s way?” Dipper said.

“Please… not now.” Pacifica said sternly. “Just… let me lay my head on you until our ride gets here.”

Dipper scooted over next to Pacifica. He felt her head lay on his shoulder. Without thinking he reached over and held her hand.

“I’m not asking you to choose.” She said softly. “Don’t feel like you have to make any decisions. Our lives are just beginning and we have a whole world of experiences ahead of us. You’ve shown me that. I’ve known you long enough to know you’re head’s going a thousand miles a second; you're torn by what I did and what’s happened to her. You’re scared of losing everyone like you lost Robbie and you want to be the shield everyone stands behind.”

Dipper remained silent. Everything she said was true.

“I’ve resolved myself that one moment was worth everything to me. No matter any future happenings, that’s mine and no one will ever take it away. And judging by your reaction It gives me comfort to know I’ll be on your mind from now on.”

“Was that your first time?” Dipper asked quietly.

“Someday I’ll tell you.” She said. Pacifica’s limo pulled up to them. They climbed in and she ordered her driver to go back to the Shack.

*           *           *

“A duck… crushed the golf cart?” Stan said with an open mouth.

“The thing _was_ about twenty feet high.” Dipper explained.

“Mabel! You only have this two in one shampoo and conditioner!” shouted Pacifica.

“It’s all we got!” shouted Mabel.

“Dipper, sweetie,” Pacifica said from halfway down the stairs. She had a towel wrapped around her and was clearly still wet from the shower. “In the third smallest bag you’ll find some bath products, could you be a dear and bring it to me?” 

“I… better go help her.” Dipper said, standing up. Stan shoved him back in his seat.

“Mabel! Get the princess her bags so she can wash her hair. I’m about to snap your brother in half!”

Billeah came downstairs in her bathrobe, drying her hair as she sat down next to Dipper.

“I swear to god,” Stan said putting his head in his hands. “Bill, you’re trying to just give me a heart attack aren’t you.”

“What do you mean?” She asked with an innocent look. “Dipper’s seen me in much less.”

“You’re really not helping…” Dipper said.

Mabel tore downstairs with an ear to ear grin, grabbed two bags and hefted them up the stairs.

“I”M TRYING ON EVERYTHING!” She proclaimed.

“NO YOU’RE NOT!” Pacifica screamed.

“I’M GOING TO BEDAZZLE SOMETHING!” Mabel screamed.

“PUT MY GUCCHI DOWN!” Pacifica shrieked.

The three at the table looked up and could hear the stomping and slamming of doors.

“I think they’ll occupy each other for a while.” Dipper said.

“I want to play…” Billeah looked up and sighed.

“You can go up in a bit, we need to talk about Robbie. His parents brought him back, not me. They apparently were prepared for this, and have a stockpile of brains to feed zombie Robbie.” Dipper said.

“I knew they were creepy.” Stan said. “But, what can we do? It’s their kid, if they can keep him from going Romero on us… It’s the best we can hope for.

“When they did the ritual… Me, Wendy and Pacifica felt our chests were being pulled apart.” Dipper said.

“During the freak rain storm? Me and Mabel were feeling the same way.”

“Your strings were trying to tie back together.” Billeah said. “The hole he left was too big, and you are too few. He may be with us, but he’s still gone.”

“So, how do we plug the hole?” Dipper asked. “You think that’s where the demonic duck came from?”

“Probably sent by him.” Billeah said.

“Oh, what’s the word on Gideon?” Dipper asked Stan.

“Not good. I spoke to Agent Powers. They let him go a year ago. He was a model citizen and really impressed the warden with his charm and cuteness. Since he IS still a minor, and the courts sent him to a maximum security prison, his parents sued the state for gross negligence, allowing a cute underage fluff ball be allowed near violent criminals was somehow unconstitutional. So they reduced him to parole for the mix up. They did fix that law where the physical holding of a deed allows you ownership of the land. Gravity Falls has updated their statues to match other countries, and will have to go through a process to transfer ownership. So, Gideon won’t be able to try and burglarize his way to screwing us over.”

“Huh,” Dipper said, “I always thought that was a little backwards.”

“I’m going to put the books away and call it a night.” Dipper said with a yawn. “Am I going to have to worry about being boarded up inside the library? Because that’s a fire hazard you know.”

“Nah, You can sleep in your own bed. Just keep the doors opened.” Stan said, giving him the biggest crocodile grin. “I trust you.” 

Dipper yawned again, and trudged into his library. He unlocked the glass case and laid the books down, in order.

“Dipper.” Billeah said, pulling on his shirt. “Don’t lock that yet.”  

“Why?” He asked, turning to face her. She looked up at him and locked her eyes to his.

“Make the deal. I want to know who he is. I can be quick, and not let him know it’s me.” Billeah said. Dipper sighed, removed book three and sat on the carpet in front of the case.

“Ok, I worked out the exact wording we need. If you go too far, I have a failsafe in place that will pull you back.

“Ok…”

“You sure about this? It will be like five second only? enough to peek and come back.”

“Yes.” She said.

“Bill, I want you to see who the picture is, and it’s connection to us.” Dipper said, opening the book to where Bill’s image was. “You must be done in five seconds, and return to us. If not, you agree to disconnect yourself from your higher form when I say the safe word: Cannibal Pig.”

“And what do I get in return Pinetree?” Billeah said, her voice was higher and more reminiscent of bill’s He could already feel the power flowing into her. Billeah’s golden locks floated up and he could see static arcing between the strands.

“This token.” he said, holding up a quarter with his initials carved into it.

“Why would I want that?” Billeah said as Bill. He could see the wide crazy eyes.

“A hundred thousand tokens. obtained through myself, or ones I pass on this contract to, will grant your wish. To be allowed your full form inside our world.”  

 Billeah’s eyes burst bright green. The flame shot down her outstretched hand. Dipper’s stomach twisted to see his sweet cousin’s face twist to the side with a psychotic smile.

“Deal”

Dipper cringed and clasped his hand with her. Billeah’s face shot up and golden light poured out of her mouth and eyes. She levitated in the middle of the library, the entire house rumbled as unearthly screamed came from the waif of a girl.

“DIPPER! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!” Stan screamed at the door.

“CANNIBAL PIG!” he screamed. Billeah’s pillar of light shut off and she fell to the floor. Dipper rushed over and lifted her head.

“Billeah, you there? You ok?”

“Book… before it’s gone.” Billeah whispered. Dipper moved the book to her. She pressed her hand on the page with the square creature and a new circle burned into the page. She smiled and pulled Dipper close. She had smile on her face. “I saw him… I know his name… I saw… everything.”

Above the circle the name _Rick Imperium_ burned at the top of the page. Billeah’s eyes rolled back and she passed out.


	6. Wayward Pines

 

**_August 16, 2014_ **

Dipper sat in Billeah’s bed, holding a compress on her forehead. He heard a soft knock and looked up. Pacifica was in the doorway. She was in a long purple nightgown and a wrap with matching slippers.

“Yeah, come in.” Dipper said softly

“How is she?” She asked.

“She’ll be fine… I think.” Dipper said with an uneasy smile.

Pacifica softly walked forward and sat next to him on the bed.

“I know I have a doll collection at home, but this room gives me the creeps. It’s like they’re all looking at me, trying to look into my soul.” Pacifica said. She looked over at Billeah. Dipper stroked her hair and watched her breathe softly. “Do I get to know exactly what happened? Or are we going to stick to the earthquake knocking a book on her head?”

Dipper smiled, wrapped his arm around her and kissed her on the forehead.

“That’s to seal my promise to you.” he said with a grin. “You’ll know everything in time, just… not right now.”

“I’ll have you know,” Pacifica said, blushing, “That Northwest's are not accustomed to bread crumbs.”

Pacifica sat in silence, watching Dipper tend to Billeah. She whined, Dipper held her hand and shushed her back to sleep.

“Watching you tend to her _can_ make a girl feel envious.” Pacifica said. “Not even when I’m sick do my parents fawn over me.”

“She’s very important.” dipper whispered, “And not just because she’s family. She’s so strong sometimes, and yet so frail. I made a promise to keep an eye on her.” Dipper smiled, he tapped on his eye patch. “I made good on that.”

“That’s not funny.” Pacifica said, caressing his left cheek, gently tracing the burn that covered his eye.

“Who said I was joking?” Dipper said looking down on sleeping Billeah. “You better go to bed.”

Pacifica laid her head on his shoulder and hugged his arm.

“I’m fine right where I am,” she said.

Bill’s voice played back in his mind over and over. The rage and insanity of his repressed over-mind terrified him to no end. He knew at that moment, if Bill were to get free…

He felt a heavy weight on his shoulder. Pacifica was snoring softly and limp on him. He scooted back and propped himself against the wall. Stealing one of Billeah’s pillows, he was able to get comfortable. Pacifica slid from his shoulder to his lap and clung to him like one of the overstuffed animals he’d seen in her room.

With his free hand, he ran it through Pacifica’s hair. It was soft and perfect, just like she tries to be. The gentle sounds of night echoed in his ears; the rhythmic croaking of frogs, occasional hoots of owls, and the sleeping breaths of the occupants in the room. The last thing Dipper thought before sleep overcame him was that he better get up before Stan does…

*           *           *

“Dipper…” a gravelly voice whispered in his ear. “Oh sweet child who lives under my roof and is trying to kill me through stress… WAKE UP!”

“Muah? CANNIBAL PIG!” Dipper said, sitting up in a daze. Stan was looking at him with his arms crossed and a furious glare. Dipper didn’t need him to vocalize what the problem was. He looked around where he was, and found himself between Pacifica and Billeah. He must have fallen asleep and fell over, or was pulled down if Billeah was grabby that evening.

“What? Oh... umm... nothing happened!” Dipper protested. Stan raised an eyebrow and pointed to the floor. Dipper’s shirt was crumpled up and on top of Billeah’s laptop. “I have no clue how that happened.”

“Dipper…” Stan said, crouching down stare him in the eyes. “I know, you’re getting older… and well, things can happen, and…”

“Dipper… I’m cold, lay back down.” Pacifica moaned.

“Yes… lay down, you’re warm.” Billeah said.

“See? I have my shirt off to keep them warm through body heat… It was survival… we could have all frozen to death… and nothing happened!”

Stan leaned forward, grabbed Dipper by the back of the head and pulled him nose to nose.

“If you’re not downstairs in five minutes, I don’t care how pissed off princess is. I’m coming up here with an ice bucket. You got me?” He said. Dipper nodded. Stan grabbed the sheets and flipped them up, sending a wave of cold air over the half sleeping and protesting occupants. “You can have ten since your pants are still on.”

Dipper sighed. Pacifica and Billeah reached up and yanked him back down and threw the covers over their heads.

*           *           *

Dipper woke to the smell of pancakes. He was alone in Billeah’s bed and wondered what was going on. He could hear the echoes of giggles and laughter through the halls and the sound of Stan… happy?

Dipper got out of bed, trudged to his room and got dressed. He tripped over a lump on the floor. Looking down, it was Robbie’s hoodie. He bundled it up, and made his way to his library. He folded it up, with the heart showing and set it inside the case with the journals.

“This is a nice setup ya got here,” he heard Stan say down the hall as he walked to the kitchen. “Sure beats the box I was in…”

Dipper froze, and edged his way down the hall, just within earshot.

“Oh Grunkle…” Mabel gushed. “We’re just glad to have you back. have some more pancakes!”

“We missed you!” Billeah agreed.

“It’s Grandpa now… well, except to you Billeah, unless you want to call me that. I don’t care! I’m back and never been happier to see you kids! Hey, where’s Dipper?”

“He’s still sleeping,” Pacifica said. 

Dipper’s chest hurt. His hands were shaking and he couldn’t breathe. What was he doing here?! He felt a massive hand land on his shoulder and pull him back.

“Take a breath kid, before you do something we’re all going to regret.” Stan said.  “He just got out due to some…extenuating circumstances.”

“I… I can’t see him.” Dipper choked.

“Dip!” Stan said, but Dipper broke free and ran to his library. He slammed and locked the door. Without thinking, he loaded his bag with the journals, Robbie’s hoodie, and climbed out the window.

*           *           *

He didn’t know how long he was walking. He wandered the forest well into the afternoon. How could they release that crazy person? As he continued to walk, he found himself on one of the many familiar paths. He couldn’t remember which one, but he followed it, and tried to admire the nature around him.

 _“Dipper…”_ whispered a voice. _“Stole them… Stole them away from me!”_

“Who’s there?” Dipper shouted, spinning around. From the direction of the voice was 'a tree carved with a square that had a gaping mouth.

 _“I’ll get them back…”_ said the disembodied voice. _“I’ll have help, the others aren't as merciful as I am… and you’ll die like you should have. NOTHING CAN STOP MY RAGE!”_

Dipper spun in a circle; the trees that surrounded him all had the carved squares with mouths on them. Blue fire formed around the gaping maws and launched at him. Dipper ducked out of the way and ran as fast as he could.

“What’s going on?” Dipper screamed. The disembodied voice cackled around him. It was like the trees themselves were trying to kill him. Everywhere he looked was the carved square. The lips evolved from being carved to fully articulate mouths that screamed and laughed as he ran past each tree.

 _“Dipper… Pines… is… losing… his... mind….”_ the trees taunted. _“You killed everyone! It’s all YOUR FAULT! YOU STOLE THEM FROM ME!”_

“Who are you? What did I do to you?!” Dipper screamed. He slammed into a tree and the branches wrapped around him the square with the mouth was mere inches from his face. It opened its mouth and he could feel a void on the other side. His body felt light, like his essence was being removed. All he could do was screaming.

There was a loud _THUNK._ The entwining branches released and he collapsed.

“Dipper gets up!” Wendy said, hefting the axe against the tree, embedding it down the middle of the square and splitting the lips. The image faded to normal bark, and she removed the axe and hefted him up. “GET UP AND RUN!”

Dipper stumbled to his feet and ran forward. He could hear Wendy running behind him. The squares appeared in front of him, all mouths opened and sucking. Wendy bolted in front and axed the faces.

“Follow me!” She screamed. Dipper’s mind was blank; all he knew was to follow the axe wielding redhead in front of him. She bobbed and weaved between the grasping branches. Dipper’s lungs were on fire, he could barely keep up with her.

“We’re almost there!” Wendy screamed. The trees tried to bunch their branches together to form a thick wall. Wendy’s axe made short work of it, and they burst out into a clearing with a log cabin and a green RV.

“Get inside!” Wendy said, wielding the axe in front of her. “DAD!”

Dipper ran full speed as the door opened and Manly Dan appeared, He took a side step to let Dipper inside, and rushed out to his daughter.

“The trees seek revenge!” he screamed. He grabbed branches that thrust out and tore them from the trees. Wendy hacked away at the perimeter of the cabin, Manly Dan following suit, until all the trees were branchless ten feet up.

Dipper watched in amazement as Manly Dan launched Wendy into the air so she can shear off the last few branches that moved in to attack.

Dipper opened the door to an exhausted Manly Dan and Wendy.

“Dipper! Never have I seen the trees attack with such ferocity!” Manly Dan said, shaking the boy.

“I don’t know what happened! I was going to a walk, and they tried to steal my soul!” Dipper said, his heart felt like it was going to explode.

“Thank god I found you.” Wendy said, dropping the axe on the flood and landing next to him on the couch. “Stan called, said you had run off in the woods. Everyone’s looking for you. I hope they’re okay.”

“They should be, they were only after me.” Dipper said, the words screamed at him echoed in his mind.

“What the hell is going on?” Wendy said panting.

“I… I… I don’t know. Grunkle Stan was back, and I panicked and ran away. I couldn’t face him!” Dipper began to hyperventilate. “And the trees, they started screaming that I killed everyone. The trees! MY TREES! Everything can come after me, but I always felt, the trees were a part of me… and now even they turned against me.”

Dipper couldn’t help it. He broke down in front of Wendy and her dad. Wendy’s brothers raced down the stairs to see what the commotion was about, but Manly Dan put his massive arm in front of the entry way to block their bombardment.

“Upstairs… now,” was all he said, and the corduroy clan marched back to their rooms.

“Dipper. I don’t understand. What are you talking about?” Wendy asked, rubbing his back.

“I KILLED EVERYONE!” Dipper shouted. “You, Mabel, Grunkle, Pacifica… They’re all dead because of me.”

“Dipper, I think those trees got to you somehow. I’ll call Stan and let them know you’re ok, and you can get some rest and calm down. No one’s dead, we’re all fine.” Wendy said. She got up and moved to the phone and punched in a few numbers. Manly Dan sat next to Dipper who was trying to choke back his tears. He was so embarrassed to look so wimpy to one of the few men he looked up to; he couldn’t even look him in the eye.

“I have it on good authority, that emotions too can be manly, Dipper the Destructor.” Dan said with a smile and leaned over to whisper in his ear. “You need to visit the lodge soon… Beardy is going to have a party next week and wanted me to ask you to come.”

Dipper sniffed back his tears some.

“How... is Beardy?” Dipper asked. When did Manly Dan join the Manotaurs?

“Ha, he had to shave it. He lost at arm wrestling to Testosteraur.” Manly Dan chuckled and slammed Dipper’s back with a large, calloused hand.

“Well, let me know, I’d like to see the gang again.” Dipper smiled, sniffing back his tears. Manly Dan stood up and headed back to the kitchen. Wendy came back and sat down.

“They said they’ll come to pick you up when you're ready. I know things are weird over there, You can stay here if you want. I got some old movies we can watch.” Wendy said with a smile.

“I don’t want to intrude… I know you’re dealing with your thing.” Dipper said.

“Yeah… that’s the thing. I kinda went crazy and after talking to Robbie again, I realized just that…well, I went crazy.” Wendy said sitting next to him. “I shouldn’t have asked that of you, I was being selfish, but it felt like a piece of my heart was torn out. I felt him when he died and I couldn’t handle it.” Wendy said.

“So, after his mom and dad did their thing, I’ve talked to him on the phone since then. He’s cool and all, but... distant. Like when you talk to him, it takes a few seconds for him to understand. I just don’t know what to think. Then I was in my room crying like an idiot and Mabel called me freaking out worse than Mabel ever has before, and told me you’re running around in the woods and may not come back. I thought I was going to lose you too. We both know the crazy stuff out there, and you’re a magnet for it.”

Dipper pulled his backpack to him and unzipped it. He pulled out Robbie’s hoodie and passed it to Wendy. She stopped him and shook her head no.

“You keep it.” She said. Dipper nodded and put it back in the backpack. “So, you want zombies or kaiju? We can go watch them in my room, I’m sure my siblings are going to start hounding us soon.”

Dipper just nodded and followed Wendy upstairs. Dipper lay in Wendy’s bed as she quickly fumbled around her floor, picking up discarded clothes and unmentionables, shoving them under her bed.

“I… hadn’t had time to clean.” She chuckled. “Hey, I’m going to grab a quick shower, go pick what you want to watch, and I’ll be back soon.”

Dipper flipped through her DVD selection. He’s seen most of them with her already. Since Robbie’s… return… he just wasn’t that interested in zombie movies. He picked an Ultraman movie and loaded it in the played. Wendy stormed in like a blur and slammed the door.

“Are they back?!” Dipper said with a panic.

“No, my brothers are being brats.” She said. It was at that moment they both realized Wendy was in her towel. Dipper pulled his hat down quickly while Wendy fumbled around. “They keep trying to shoot me with their water guns loaded with fruit punch.”

“Are you decent?” Dipper asked.

“Yeah…” Wendy said. Dipper lifted his hat slowly. “But I’m still naked.”

“I only have one good eye left,” Dipper said, shoving his hat over his face again.

“What? Me naked is going to blind you?” Wendy said indignantly.

“That’s not what I meant!” Dipper said covering his whole face now.

“Oh don’t be such a baby, I was kidding. worst you’d see is some girly underwear. I’m sure you see just as much with Mabel and Billeah living with you.”

“Yeah… but it’s different.” Dipper said. He felt Wendy climb on her bed and yanked the hat off.

“See? I’m dressed, no stress.” She said and laid next to Dipper. “Good choice in movies!” 

 There was a soft knock on the door.

“Yeah?” Wendy said. The door slowly opened and Manly Dan peeked in.

“One of the Pines is on the phone.” he said. “I can’t tell which one.”

Wendy looked at Dipper. He hid his face in his hat again.

“Dipper, just talk to them, I’ll be right here.” She said. Dipper held out his hand and Manly Dan gave him the phone.

“Yeah…” Dipper said.

“Dipper!” said Stan. “Oh my god, Dan said you were there, but I was so worried. Are you hurt? Are you ok?”

“I’m fine.” He said dryly, “Grandpa. Shouldn’t you be behind bars?”

“Dipper, you’ve got to come home! We need you, we need the Journals. There’s so much going on....” Stanford said.

“I’m fine… I’ll be back later.” He said with a monotone voice.

“Dipper! Wait! Don’t hang…” Stanford said, and Dipper shut off the phone, handing it back to Dan.

“He said to call him when I’m ready, if it’s ok with you to stay here.” Dipper said, pulling his hat up. He couldn’t look at him and lie. He felt Dan knew he was lying to. Without a word, he took the phone and left.

*           *           *

Dipper must have fallen asleep; he woke up on the couch with a blanket over him and Manly Dan standing over him.

“I moved you.” was all he said and walked away. Dipper felt terrible, but he couldn’t go back to that house. Everyone betrayed him. Mabel and Billeah were laughing and carrying on with the man who caused their parents to die. No matter how hard he tried to convince himself these last two years, he could never fully forgive Stanford.

Well, one thing he’s learned over the years is when you don’t know what to do… make pancakes. And that’s what he did.

*           *           *

“Dipper…” Wendy said softly.

Dipper was scouring through the journals on her kitchen table. He was chewing on his pen and scribbling notes on a notepad.

“Dipper… it’s been three days. You need to see your family. I don’t mind you staying here, and neither does my dad. You feed him, so he’ll keep you forever. But… we’re all worried about you. I ran into Pacifica at work and she looked terrible.”

“Uh-huh…” Dipper said, half listening. “Did you know there’s a mushroom in the woods that will block dreams?”

“Dipper…” Wendy said, more sternly.

“I wonder if we can get the Hide Behind to look for the whisperer in the woods…”

“Dipper…” Wendy said, tapping her foot.

“Did you know…?” Dipper trailed off, engrossed in the page he was reading.

“Oh for the love of… _DIPPER_ , I'M PREGNANT WITH YOUR CHILD!” Wendy yelled.

“What?!” Dipper looked up in horror. The cabin shook as Manly Dan stormed down stairs holding his double headed-axe with fire burning in his eyes. Dipper looked pleadingly at her father. “But… I never! We’d never...!”

“Is lying like that the only way I can get your attention?” Wendy demanded. Dipper nodded. Manly Dan paused, pointed to his eyes and then to Dipper and slowly retreated back upstairs.

“Dipper… I say this because I care… but go home. You can’t hide from him. He’s back working with his brother at the Shack. Stuff’s happened and they need you there.”

“Fine… I’ll call Pacifica.”

“NO!” Wendy slammed her fist on the table. “Dipper! You can’t keep hiding. You know if you call her she’ll probably have you on a plane to Milan or something. Get your bag, load your books, and let’s go.”

“I can’t…” Dipper said. “I can’t see him. I can’t…”

“Will it help if I’m there?” Wendy asked. Dipper sighed and nodded.

“I’m going to tell my dad where we’re going. You’ll be here when I come downstairs?” Wendy asked. Dipper nodded. He slowly began to pack the journals, dreading facing the people at home.


	7. Reconcile

_**August 19, 2014** _

Dipper tuned out the lecture Stan was practically screaming at him. Mabel and Billeah were nowhere to be found. He heard words like ‘inconsiderate’ and ‘selfish’. Wendy tried to interject, but Stan’s glare told her to shut up and if she said a word, he’d kick her out. Dipper didn’t want to hear it. He got up, dragged his bag behind him and walked to his library.  Without looking, he shut the door on Stan’s glare, and locked it.

Dipper opened the display case and set the journals inside. Next to Journal 3, he folded and lay down Robbie’s hoodie. He stared at his reflection in the glass, at the scars, the eye patch, and an almost grizzled look on his face. It was the look of someone who had seen too much, and can never forget.

He wandered his shelves, the thousands of books he’d collected from shops and ordered online. He used to feel wonderment when he spent his time in here, but now...

“I did kill them all.” Dipper whispered. “I was stupid. I should have trusted her.”

“You fixed it all.” Billeah said from behind him. Dipper jumped and fell down.

“How’d you get in?” he asked. She smiled and pulled out a necklace, on it was a key.

“Do you think I wouldn’t be able to unlock your mind?” She said with a grin.

“What do you want, anyway?” Dipper asked, standing up and re-shelving a book that was knocked down. “You should hate me, like everyone should. I trapped you, I promised I’d stay, but I ran away. Just get mad at me, scream… something to punish me.”

“You did nothing punishable.” Billeah said softly, and laid her head on his back. Her tiny arms wrapped around behind him. “I… was myself for a moment then. Right here, you saved me, that me my other secretly yearned for. Even as my other, I… needed you to anchor me, I needed you with me. Your deal bound us together. Should I ever shed this body, I know now, that I will always need you.”

“Billeah…” Dipper said softly.

“No, don’t speak.” She said. “You must know this, if anything happens. If I fall back… I cannot, will not ever harm you. You left too soon, most of what I saw has faded. Everyone was scared and worried about you, they forgot what we did that night. I know why the symbols are surrounding me. They are a seal… a protection of this world from others like me.”

“A seal?” Dipper asked.

“I found your place long ago and watched, fascinated with you. I hid you away from the others, made sure you were all mine. Each one of the circle protects this place from the others, when one string breaks, others can see. If I was… myself, I could tie another string to fix it. Each string is tied to another, and supports each other.”

“What if I use another token…?” Dipper whispered, hopeful his failsafe plan will allow him to utilize Billeah’s powers as originally intended. He felt her head shake no.

“Already this place is being claimed. A void must be filled with another. I’m scared; if more holes appear… his influence becomes greater.”

“You’re saying everyone will die?” Dipper choked. He couldn’t handle this.

“No… cast themselves aside.” Billeah said, tightening her arms around him. “You almost did, I felt it in my heart. My strong pine tree almost fell. And then I would be lost.”

“What can you tell me about him?” Dipper said.

“As I watch, he speaks. As I delight is observing the random accomplishments here, he will delight in instilling order from the chaos of humanity. He could only whisper as long as the circle was whole. But now, things can slip through the cracks.”

Dipper was silent. He closed his eyes and felt Billeah hug him tightly from behind. There was a soft knock on the library door. He had a suspicion of who it was, but didn’t want to open it.

“You need to let him in.” Billeah said softly.

“Is that figuratively, or literally?” Dipper said dryly.

“When do I speak figuratively?” Billeah said. He could tell she was grinning. He felt her arms withdrawal, and her tiny hand wrap around his. She led him to the door, and placed his hand on the knob. “I’ll be here. You’re strong and will shelter all of us… my pine tree.” she whispered.

Dipper closed his eyes, and unlocked the door.

*           *           *

Dipper sat at the table with the real Uncle Stan and Stanford. Billeah sat next to him, and held his hand under the table. No one spoke, every time words came to his mouth, to scream and rant and yell. Billeah squeezed his hand, to hold the rage back.

It was Stanford who finally broke the silence. Tears were welling up in his eyes, and his voice broke as he spoke.

“Oh god, Dipper.” Stanford said, taking off his glasses, “I can’t say sorry enough for doing this to you.”

“I spent the last two years thinking what I would say to you if I ever saw you again.” Dipper whispered. “I can’t bring myself to speak them. If I do, I may never come back from it.”

“Stan... can’t we… can’t we do something for him? We’ve got to be able to fix him.” Stanford looked at his brother, pleading. “It’s too much for a boy.”

“He wears those burns like a badge of honor, Stanford. He’s taken on more responsibility and accepted the consequences of his choices far better than others in this room. But, no we can’t fix it, just like we can’t fix his eye, or bring back his parents, or undo the trust you shattered.” Stan said. His brother’s face crumpled. “You’re here to try and mend the last one, even though it’s probably the most difficult.”

“Why are you out here?” Dipper asked. “What happened?”

“The lab… it’s gone. Someone overloaded the circuit. Agent Trigger and Powers were able to get me and Stan out of the lab, but we never found McGucket. He may have run, or he may have died. We don’t know.”

“He’s still alive.” Dipper and Billeah said in unison. Stan nodded in agreement.

“What? How do you know?” Stanford said.

“Remember when you and McGucket felt like you were having a heart attack?” Stan told his brother.

“That’s when Robbie died.” Dipper added. He pulled out Journal 3 and flipped to the drawing he did of Bill. “Each one of these is a person. Here’s me, the Pine tree… You're the Fez you wear… Uncle Stan is the six fingers… McGucket is these glasses… Pacifica the Llama, Mable the Shooting Star… Soos is the Question Mark… I think the Ice is Wendy… She was feeling the same when Robbie died. The star with an eye is Lil’ Gideon, and Robbie was the Heart.”

“So, what about her?” Stanford asked, pointing to Billeah. Dipper pointed to the triangle. “I think you better start from the beginning, son.”           

*           *           *

“So… who all knows this?” Stanford asked.

“Only we Pines know the full story” Dipper replied. “You, Uncle Stan, and Mabel. Pacifica and Wendy know something’s going on, but I’ve been able to keep them at bay.”

“The more we gather, the brighter we are.” Billeah said.

Stanford turned Journal 3 to him and flipped back to the page that was burned

“So these others… let’s see we got what? A star, some sort of Hat, I can’t even tell what that thing is, a sideways B? A creepy smile, something I can’t tell, then we have a business tie, a spatula looking thing, a closed eye, or it could be like half a sun or something, and a bill of some sort, like a dollar or money.”

“I’ve… not tried to decipher them yet.” Dipper said. “Honestly, I’ve lived here in Gravity Falls for two years now, everyone here has become almost like family to me, I can’t bear to think they might be people on this circle. That they are having Rick whisper in their ear, like he did to me in the forest. I was almost lost in those woods.”

“Well… You know what we need to do next…” Stan said, clapping his hands. Stanford looked at his brother with a quizzical look. “I have here a document of utmost importance; we need to act on this right away. We all told you when we called Wendy it was critical you came back.”

“What is it?” Dipper said, staring at the carefully folded letter his uncle’s six fingered hand produced from his jacket and slammed down on the table.

“This letter came especially for you…” he said with a grin, and removed it. Dipper grabbed the paper and opened it up. His eyes widened and his shoulders drooped.

“Really? After everything going on?” Dipper protested.

“Mabel and I have already taken care of ourselves. Pacifica wanted to take you, and was very cross at you.”

Dipper slammed his head into the table.

“I’m going to skip… just give me the test now. I don’t have time for this!”

“You’re going to school tomorrow, even if the Manotaurs invade.” Stan said with a grin. Dipper groaned.

“Pacifica’s on her way!” Mabel screamed running downstairs. Apparently she’s been eavesdropping on their conversation. “Don’t think you’re getting off easy with me… I still have my pound of flesh to rend from you.”

Stan handed Dipper a plastic card. He looked at it and was surprised to see his name on it.

“I started a joint checking account for you, your sister, and cousin. I’ve arranged a monthly stipend that’s appropriate for someone your age. It’s easier than having to dig in my wallet every week to give you money.” Stan said. Dipper couldn’t believe it.

“I don’t know what to say…” Dipper said.

“Don’t’ say anything, I’m being lazy, that’s why I set it up. You run out of cash, that’s your problem, not mine.”

“How much?” Dipper asked.

“Hey, I’m not a cheapskate, I know you run with Wendy and Pacifica, you each get 100 a week. Can’t have them paying your way all the time now could we? I couldn't believe the price of popcorn when I got back.”

“Thank you!” Dipper said, giving him a hug. Dipper looked over at Stanford. He took a breath and hugged him as well. There was a honk outside. Dipper pulled away, wiped a tear from his cheek and chuckled.

“I guess Pacifica is going to tear into me as well… I better go.”

“Curfew is 10.” Stan said. “Just because you think you’re smarter than everyone don’t mean you get to stay out all night.”

Dipper waved the list at them and nodded. “I’ll be ready.”

Dipper closed the door of his home and saw a rolls royce parked out front, not Pacifica’s standard limo. The window rolled down and he saw Pacifica waving at him. He smiled sheepishly and waved back. Trotting up to the car, he got in and closed the door. The Rolls Royce headed out of the driveway and onto the highway.

*           *           *

They rode in silence for a good mile or two. Pacifica looked away, as if not even acknowledging him. He could tell she was furious. Last time he saw her, she had fallen asleep on him, and they slept in the bed with Billeah. She was probably helping BIlleah and Mabel make pancakes to celebrate his grandfather’s return when he went and ran off.

Pacifica looked well dressed, even for her. She wore her hair in a bun, makeup looked professionally done, and wore a white dress with white velvet gloves. She had a string of pearls, with matching earrings and a tiara.

“I… feel underdressed even to be in the car with you.” Dipper said nervously.

“Give it…” Pacifica snapped. Dipper looked confused. She pointed to the crumpled school supply list in his hand. He held it forward, and she snatched it away from him. Opened it up and inspected the contents.

“Really? This is all they want you to get? Where’s the new laptop? The new tablet? How are you supposed to create the PowerPoint with cardboard cutouts?” Pacifica sighed and read on. “What… what kind of schedule is this? You’re only going to two classes and the rest are free periods!”

“Well… Last year, I tested out of most of the other classes. I’m scheduled with tutors to help me pass the High School Equivalency test on the last day of school.” Dipper said nervously.

“You’re really going to skip four years of school.” Pacifica said softly. Her fingers trailed across his paper. “Fine… Jimmy!”

Her driver looked back.

“Be a dear, and when we arrive, make sure to fill this list please? Make a copy so we don’t lose it either.” Pacifica said, and handed the paper to her driver. “He’ll take care of it.”

“But… I got this…” Dipper said, and showed the Visa Stan just gave him. “I was supposed to get it myself.”         

“Oh how cute!” Pacifica said, snatching away his card. ‘I had one of these when I was six! Daddy gave me a black one now… Oooo tell me, what’s the limit? Ten? Twenty thousand?”

“Umm… Stan puts a hundred dollars a week in there… I can save it up, and it’s supposed to be used for school supplies. I still need his approval for larger purchases.”

“A… hundred… a week?” Pacifica said, now looking at the card like it carried some sort of disease. “Yeah… here you go.”

“So, where are we going?” Dipper asked.

“Shopping.” Pacifica said with a smile. “We need to get you a tux, and then your school clothes, your shoes need to be burned. I had the most wonderful time with the girls the other day, even Grenda and Candy came along… while you were… indisposed at Wendy’s.

“Look, Pacifica… I appreciate…” Dipper said.

“NO!” Pacifica shouted. “No you will sit there and do what I say today, got that? You drag me out in the woods, we always go to that quaint diner and you never let me do anything for you!”

Dipper stared at her, stunned.

“If you’re going to act like a baby, then fine. I’m going to treat you like a baby. You’re going to go shopping with me. I will not have you go to your last year at school looking like… something the cat dragged in. You will look presentable and we’re going to see a musical in Portland! You will smile, wave and do your sugar momma proud!”

“Do I have a say in any of this?” Dipper asked. Pacifica glared at him. “Ok…” he said meekly.

“Hold my hand! I look pretty, and I expect to be fawned over!” Pacifica said. She took off one of her gloves and grabbed Dipper’s hand. She gave him a big plastic smile, that Dipper returned.

“SEE? HAPPY!”

*           *           *

Dipper checked his watch. It was 11:30. He called Stan to let him know what happened, and was informed he had already approved Pacifica’s punishment, and his 10:00 curfew started tomorrow.

Pacifica’s head was in his lap, and she moaned softly as he trailed his fingers through her hair, like he does for Billeah.

“Was that so terrible?” Pacifica asked.

“It was actually really cool.” Dipper admitted. “I’ve seen the old black and white movie of the Phantom, but… to hear it echoing through the concert hall.

“It’s magical. You can feel the pain and longing he has.”

“I think a few people thought I was bad taste.” Dipper said, rubbing the burn on his cheek.

“They wouldn’t know class if it came up to them and slapped them with a salmon.” Pacifica said with a giggle. She reached up and pulled his hand from her head and held it to her chest, hugging his arm. “You really hurt me.”

“How?” Dipper asked. He used his spare hand to continue stroking her hair.

“I get it… I get why you ran. It hurt finding you gone, after we all were making breakfast. I know I was being selfish, I am so jealous of what you have over there. No one laughs or plays at home, it’s quiet. a quiet that can deafen you.”

“I’m sorry, you’re welcome anytime. You can come over every morning and have breakfast with us if you want.” Dipper said.

“No… that’s not what hurt me. It’s that… you… ran to her. And I promised myself, not to feel this way, but I couldn’t help it. I hoped you would have called me… talked to me.”

“It wasn’t that I chose there, She saved me from the weird square things.” Dipper said.

“That’s fine, take shelter there, but you could have left. You could have called me to get you. You protect everyone, Dipper. I just want to protect you for once.” Pacifica said softly.

“I’ll tell you something… one of my secrets.” he said softly. “I almost lost myself there. The person you know, the one you care for, the one you’re clinging to now, almost disappeared. I fell so far… I almost gave up everything. I deserve whatever you, Stan, Mabel, and whoever else thinks of to snap me back in shape. I should have at least called you and told you I was okay.”

After a moment Dipper chuckled.

“What?” Pacifica asked.

“The last day I stayed over there, Wendy screamed at me to snap me out of my funk, I didn’t want to go home and so I said I’d call you. She said it was the worst thing to do, because you would probably steal me away to Milan and never let me go.”

“Haha… Milan? At this time of year? No... we’d have gone to Paris.” She said patting his hand.

“Haha…” Dipper laughed.

“Mention that harlot again and we’re heading to the airport.”


	8. Routine

**_August, 26, 2014_ **

Dipper’s nose was in the middle of an advanced calculus book. He jotted down the formulas and let his mind wrap around the problem. The math didn’t come easy like many of the other subjects, he needed to work to understand and master it but it was a challenge he enjoyed.

“Very good, Dipper!” said his tutor. “Most students have trouble with that particular problem set.

“Don’t think I didn’t Dipper said with a grin.

“Dipper Pines… please come to the office” The intercom said. Dipper and his instructor looked at each other.

Dipper shrugged and gathered up his things, there were only 10 minutes left before the end of his first period, he should make his way to the Gym after this for PE.

Dipper walked the empty halls to the front office. The administrator was on the phone talking to someone; she smiled and waved at him to take a seat. Dipper opened a book on cryptography  
when the office doors burst opened and his Principal came in while stammering  
followed by a familiar man in a very expensive suit and Pacifica.

“I… really appreciate the donation you’re offering. We could easily upgrade our facilities with your backing… but it’s not policy to allow donors to mandate curriculum. I can earmark funds to say… upgrade the computer lab, or get better gym equipment, but adding… what was it?”

“English riding.” The man in a tie said. “Also, German, Mandarin, and Opera.”

“I… I… understand Mr. Northwest… We don’t have the capacity for those classes, and your daughter will be the only one taking them.”

“Daddy…” Pacifica said annoyed. “Just get me a tutor if I MUST take those classes. I don’t see why I need to learn German when I can hire a translator...”

“Dear, you’ve already got tennis, golf, and dance classes...”

“Translators work okay, Pacifica, but working in other languages, subtle inflections could be missed. If you’re to do business overseas, it shows respect and confidence to make deals in their own tongue, even if the people you’re working with will already know English.” Dipper said.

“Dipper…” Mr. Pines held his hand out. Dipper took it and gave him a firm but gentle shake. “It’s always good to see you.”

“Likewise, Mr. Pines… although, I’m a little confused as to why you’re here.” Dipper asked, looking at Pacifica. She had found something very interesting on her nails and wouldn’t make eye contact with him.

“It seems my daughter has it in her head she should attend public school. So far, I’m not impressed with the curriculum and the culture. My little girl is going to grow up to be a pillar of the community, American royalty…”

“So, wouldn’t it be prudent if she has a pulse on the commoners, sir?” Dipper asked. “One of the complaints against most wealthy individuals is a blindness to the state of affairs in their own backyard.”

“What are you implying?” Mr. Northwest said. “That I’m ignoring those less fortunate? I give generously to many charities.”

“That’s what most wealthy individuals claim,” Dipper retorted. “Have you donated more than you can write off at the end of the year?”

“Dipper!” Pacifica said with a look of shock.

“Pacifica attending this school will send a message that even the great Northwests don’t see themselves above the common people. I’m sure you can even release a press statement, indicating as much.” Dipper said. He sat down and casually flipped through his calculus notes. 

He could feel Mr. Northwest’s burning stare linger on him, Pacifica always said once you sent forth a proposal, never make a move until the other party does. This was a waiting game between them, and Mr. Northwest would have to have the next word.

“I still don’t understand why you would stoop yourself to this level.” Mr. Northwest said. “Is there anything I can get you to make you change your mind?”

“Daddy, I’ve been sheltered enough. If I’m to take the reins on your empire, I must know the world around me. I wish to use my name to bring our family closer to everyone, not keeping them outside the fence.” Pacifica said. Dipper cracked a smile as he flipped  
through his notes. Mr. Northwest sighed.

“Dipper,” Mr. Northwest said. He stood up, and looked him in the eye. “You’re the only one in this school I half trust. If anything happens to her turning to wood is going to be one of the happier memories involving my house.”

“Yes, sir.” Dipper said, and extended his hand again. “I’ll make sure her year will be eventful and fulfilling.”

Mr. Northwest gave him another shake and left, the principal trailing behind him.

“So…” Dipper said, sitting back down. “Now I see why I was called to the office.”

“Oh, Dippy!” Pacifica squealed and tackle hugged him. “I knew my Big Dipper would be able to negotiate with my father! The way you handled yourself sent chills up my spine. I’m… I don’t know how I feel! Scared? Excited? I’ve never been to a school with boys in it… and no uniforms!”

“Wait… you wanted me to go to your school! It was an all-girls school?” Dipper said, taken aback.

“Well, I’m sure the dean would have been ok with it, we’d just get you a wig and you’d learn how to walk in heels well within a week.” Pacifica said, trailing off with a smile.

“I have an actual class in like 20 minutes. Do you have your schedule?” Dipper asked, Pacifica rummaged around her backpack and pulled out a sheet of paper and handed it to her.

“Oh… I’m sorry” He said.

“What?” She asked.

“Well, we don’t have any of the same classes, I’ve taken most of these already, so I can help you study. We’ve got the same lunch, and I have an extra period after school.” Dipper said, handing the sheet back to her. She looked disappointed.

“Well… I had hoped... at least one class with you.” Pacifica said. Dipper looked over the sheet and sighed.

“Hold on,” he said, and walked to the office administrator. He came back with a grin and handed her the sheet back. “Ok, see your math teacher? He’s the one I was working with last period, if it’s ok with him, I can sit in your math class and do my work while acting as a teacher’s aide for him. He needs to approve it, but it was something he mentioned to me last year. So, we can all hang out for lunch and then you and I can head to math together.”  

*           *           *

Dipper fell into a routine. He went to school; Pacifica gave the three of them a ride home and did her homework at their house. He put in a few hours at the shop, hung out with Wendy and Soos, and wrapped up his evening in the library trying to decipher Rick’s Circle.

Dipper’s eyes kept glazing over from staring at the symbols. He decided it was time for coffee. Leaving his library, Dipper shuffled into the kitchen. To his surprise, although surprises seemed more common than not, Agent Trigger and Powers were sitting at the table with an already brewed pot.

“Agents…” Dipper said, grabbing a cup and pouring it.

“Dipper...” they said in unison.

“So… Do you guys ever fist bump and say ‘Trigger Power?” Dipper said, sipping his black coffee. Agent Trigger’s eyes widened, and gave Agent Powers a grin.

“That’s absurd…” Agent Powers said gruffly. “Why would we do that?”

“That does sound cool… come on! Let’s try it!” Agent Trigger said holding his fist out. Agent Powers looked at it like it was covered in some sort of contagion.

“So…” Dipper said, looking at the two agents. Agent Trigger refilled his mug and sipped it. “How’s the coffee?”

“It’s really good.” Agent Trigger said. “Columbian?”

Dipper nodded.

“I’m glad you like it… lock the door when you’re done” he said, and sat up from the table.

“We needed to speak to you.” Agent Powers said. He wiped some coffee off his mustache and set his empty cup down.

Dipper looked at the two agents and shrugged. He sat down and let them talk.

“You know what happened at the portal. We wanted to know your opinion on the situation. It’s… well, its unorthodox working with a fourteen year old, but you’ve shown yourself capable. We do value your insights.”

“It was blown up.” Dipper said flatly. “And… it wasn’t an accident. A psychotic four foot pasty faced kid was sent to an adult prison, not a juvenile one, and is dead set on trying to destroy my family. I’d start there.”

“Yes, but what about the _weird_ aspect? What do the journals say?” Agent Powers asked.

Dipper looked at Agent Powers as he took a sip of coffee. It didn’t escape his notice the slight look Agent Trigger gave him, more of surprise than anything.

“Agent Powers,” Dipper said as he set his coffee down. “If you need to know anything in the journals, ask the author. He’s going to have more insight than I have. It’s late, and I have to study.”

Dipper politely excused himself and locked the door to his library. Opening a drawer under the display case that held the journal, he withdrew a binder filled with newspaper clippings, sketches, and random scribbles of those he had. He flipped the pages till it landed on the list of symbols.

***

_Rick's circle_

_Axe - Wendy? Manly Dan? Co-workers or some other lumberjack?_

_Money Bill - Someone rich or of financial influence.  Mr. Northwest, one of his inner circle?_

_Star - Commonly used as law enforcement Agent’s Trigger and Powers, Officer Blubs? Deputy?_

_Some kind of hat, a Sombrero? -  I saw the Gideon's father wear one shaped like that. Someone related to Soos?_

_Unsure of sign. Looks like a b. -  possible symbol for blowing air, a whistle? Still needs to research further.._

_Creepy Smile - Too many in Gravity Falls to list_

_Microphone? - Could be someone in  
the music business, or media. Still unsure of symbol._

_A Tie - Someone who dresses in a tie all the time. Agent Powers, Agent Trigger, Pacifica’s father, most people in business or government._

_Spatula - Someone who works with food?_

_Still don’t know, a half sun? a closed eye? - Still can’t find any correlation symbols to match this one._

***

Dipper underlined Agent power’s name under all his notes, trying to see if he could find a correlation. Anyone asking about the Journals had been receiving the same scrutiny. Dipper wondered if he’s going crazy sometimes, finding connections when there are none.

There was a soft knock at the door. It wasn't Billeah, she has a key. Mabel?

Getting up, he unlocked the door and peeked out.

“Dipper?” His sister said holding something to her chest. “I… I know you’re working.”

“What is it?” he asked, opening the door to let her in. “I always have time for my twin!”

“Yeah… not so much.” She said, looking dejected. “It’s seems like it’s been forever since we’ve hung out. Not since Grandpa came back. You’ve mostly locked yourself up in here.”

“No I haven’t,” Dipper chuckled. “...Have I?”

“You missed Waddle’s recital. He depended on his father…”

“Waddles had a recital?” Dipper asked looking confused. “He’s a pig… a huge pig, what could he do?”

“You would have seen it if you were there. We told you an hour before the show started. Grunkle... er, Grandpa helped me and Grenda lift him and do a tap dance routine. Everyone showed up, even zombie Robbie. Then, us girls sang… and we hoped you would do some magic tricks, but again...”

“I… I don’t remember you mentioning any of this.” Dipper said, putting his head in his hands. “Did I say I would do magic tricks?”

“Yes,” Mabel said, looking down at the carpet and digging her toe into one spot. “Kinda… I asked you three times and you finally said okay and shooed me away.” 

“Oh Mabel, I’m so sorry.” Dipper said, giving his sister a hug. “You’ve spent all your time with Wendy, Pacifica, Billeah, I feel like I’ve been tossed aside. I know we’ve got a lot  
riding on you figuring this out but will you let me help? We’re the Mystery  
Twins right?”

“Right! So, tomorrow's Saturday. I’ll clear my schedule and it will be you and me all day. What do you want to do?” Dipper asked with a grin. Mabel thought about it, and grabbed Journal 3. She flipped through the pages, and set it aside. Grabbing Journal 2, she did the same while Dipper patiently waited.

Gently setting Journal 2 down, she opened Journal 1 and looked at each page, she chewed her lip thoughtfully as she considered options. Every time Dipper would try to look, she pulled the book away. Dipper smiled as her face lit up. She slammed the book down and thrust her finger on the page, pointing to the image with a grin.

“I want to ride a Unicorn!”

Dipper slapped his forehead.  
  


	9. Unicorn Hunt

**_September 27, 2014_ **

Dipper followed close behind Mabel as she skipped along ahead the trail. He had spoken with his Uncle and Grandpa who assured him the unicorns would probably run away and hunting one would not likely be dangerous.

“I’m so excited, Brobro!” Mabel said, her eyes sparkled in the sunshine. Dipper grinned nervously and looked around, trying to spot those carved squares that tried to steal his soul last time he was in the woods.

“Yeah… fun in the woods…” Dipper said. “We should head to the meadows; It says if you sit and play a harp, your innocence should attract a unicorn… you still _have_ your innocence, right?”

“Of course! Why wouldn’t I?” Mabel grinned.

“Because you almost got married to the entire gnome race, dated a Merman, still won’t tell me what happened with the vampires, and have thrown yourself at any cute guy that you come across.”

“Oh, keeping track of the cute ones?” Mabel grinned. “Something I should know about?”

“I’m secure enough in my manhood to be able to give a proper ‘cute’ assessment of the male gender,” Dipper said defiantly. “Just like Deep Chris.”

“I’ll be sure to tell that to Wendy when we’re painting your nails next time…” Mabel retorted.

“I had a cracked nail… and it was the one time… _and_ it was just a clear coat!” Dipper said defensively.

“Dipper… this is me we’re talking here… I don’t have anything ‘clear’... that had more glitter than a barrel full of Mabel juice.”

“Changing subjects… just keep an eye out for squares…” Dipper said looking around.

“Dipper, you’re the squarest one out here.” Mabel said with a laugh. “I’m kidding! If any killer geometry homework comes at you… I’ve got your back.”

Dipper sighed and trudged along. Mabel fell in step alongside him and grabbed his hand. He looked over at her reassuring smile and opened up to the beauty around him. The birds chirped and the sun was out. There was slight cloud cover that darkened the woods at random times. One of the things he missed during all his studying was the scent of pines.

As they continued down the path, the woods opened up to the meadow that hugged the lake. The grass was knee high and he could smell the lake and greenery around them. Dandelions bloomed as far as he could see, the yellow flowers dotted the field.

“No matter how scary this place can be…” Mabel began.

“... its beauty will surprise you.” Dipper finished. The looked at each other and ran full speed to the water’s edge.

*           *           *

Dipper’s head was propped up with his jacket. He was drawing in a sketchbook he had. Mabel was making a daisy chain, except she was using dandelions, and playing with the grass. Dipper’s skillful hand captured her on the page. She looked up with an ear to ear grin and ran towards him.

“Ah! What are you doing!”

“You are the crowned prince of the meadow!” Mabel said, removing his hat and putting the dandelions crown on his head.

“Ha ha.” He said, reaching up to take it off.

“Leave it on!” she pleaded. Dipper sighed and went back to his drawing.

_click_

“Mabel… what did you…” Dipper said, his phone buzzed. He looked down and saw a message from Wendy.

_OMG! SO CUTE!_

“Mabel!” Dipper looked in horror. “Why did you do that?”

“I thought you were secure enough in your manhood to withstand a little cute.” Mabel said with a grin.

Dipper’s phone buzzed again.

_Thanks for the picture! Do you want a copy of the framed portrait this will make? - Pacifica_

_Yes. - Mabel_

_Get me one too! - Wendy_

_No. - Pacifica_

_No fair! - Wendy_

_Do I have a say in this? - Dipper_

_No! - Wendy, Mabel, Pacifica_

_Can I have a copy? - Billeah_

“Mabel!” Dipper shouted. She put her phone away and jumped on top of him giving him a hug. The force of her attack knocked the two of them back into the grass.

“You have to do it, because it will make me happy.” Mabel said with a grin.

“I thought we were hunting unicorns…” Dipper whispered.. Mabel’s face was really close, her hair was covering his face. He moved some back behind her ear. Mabel laid her head on Dipper’s chest and moved his arm around her.

“Naptime first, then lunch, then we’ll play the harp and see if one comes.” Mabel said. Before DIpper could protest, he could feel her rhythmic breathing that told him she was already sound asleep.

Dipper’s eyes were heavy, he closed them for a moment, and felt a shadow fall over him. He had the sensation someone was standing over him. If he opened his eyes it would alert whoever it was he noticed them. His phone was still in his hand. Slowly, he slid the touch screen opened. He pressed where he thought the camera function was and readied his thumb.

He could hear footsteps coming closer.

He angled his phone in the direction of the noise and pressed his thumb down as quickly as he could. He saw a white flash through his closed lids, and the approaching entity’s footsteps retreated.

_Snort_

“Wha?… what was that?” Mabel said, sitting up and rubbing her eyes. Dipper looked at the picture and twisted it around.

“I thought I heard someone coming near us, I tried to sneak a picture of them.” Dipper said, sitting up. Mabel came behind him, wrapped her legs around his waist and arms around his chest, putting her chin on his shoulder and looked at his phone. “Someone’s clingy today.”

“Shut up and show it to me.” Mabel said. Dipper opened the photo and saw nothing but wavy white hair.

“That’s… hair.” Mabel said confused. “That all you got?”

“Yeah… I was trying to take a picture with my eyes closed. I couldn't exactly say to stand still.”

“Could it be the Unicorn?” Mabel said, squeezing her arms and legs in glee.

“I guess…” Dipper said unconvinced.

“Stay here! I’m going to go play the harp!”

Mabel ran to her backpack and pulled out a small five stringed harp. She ran her fingers across the strings, and Dipper’s teeth were set on edge. It was horribly out of tune.

“Oh… Unicorn… mystical Unicorn… you have a Uni horn… and I want to ride you!” She sang as off key as her harp. She skipped around singing at the top of her lungs some nonsensical lyrics that Dipper could barely make out.  After a half hour, Mabel came back to flop across Dipper, panting and red faced.

“I don’t think my singing is good enough.” Mabel said. “I”m hot now…”

“What are you doing?” Dipper said horrified as Mabel began to undress.

“Phht… I have a swimsuit on! It’s not like you haven't seen me naked before.”

“Yeah, when we were like six!” Dipper said, averting his eyes. Mabel giggled and pulled off Dipper’s shoes. “What are you doing now!”

“Well, I’m not swimming alone!” Mabel said, throwing his shoes in different directions.

Dipper sighed and took of his shirt. Mabel’s giggling stopped almost immediately.

“What?” Dipper asked, hefting off his pants. He was down to his boxer shorts when she walked back to her bag and took out the sunscreen.

“I knew you need this, but I haven’t seen you like this since the lake party.” She said softly.

“Don’t worry about it.” Dipper said with a smile. He applied the sunblock, rubbing in extra on the burns.

“I just… forget sometimes. You don’t have to go if you don’t want to.” Mabel said. Dipper handed her the bottle and grinned.

“You already got me undressed, might as well put this on my back so we can go.” Dipper said with a grin. Mabel grabbed the tube, stuck her tongue out and put the sunblock on. Once he was fully UV protected, they ran to the lake and jumped in.

After swimming for an hour. Mabel got out and laid on one of the towels she brought along. Dipper swam a little more, diving down and looking for anything interesting in the muck.

“Pacifica wants to know if she can come over tomorrow!” Mabel shouted from the shore. She was looking at her phone, thumbs moving like lightning.

“That’s fine!” Dipper shouted.

“So does Wendy!” Mabel screamed. ”And Candy, and Grenda”

“I need to find some male friends!” Dipper shouted back. “But whatever… why do they all want to come over at once?”

“We’re in group chat…” Mabel screamed. “It’s now become a sleep over.”

“Alright we need to head baaack!” Dipper said, losing his footing. he stumbled forward, and felt a branch under the water scratch his leg. He fell back on his butt, and swallowed a mouthful of water. He flailed about, getting his footing and stood up defiantly.

_click_

Dipper heard the sound coming from behind him, and Mabel erupting in laughter.

“IF YOU TURN AROUND, I MAY HAVE FOUND A UNICORN!”

Dipper dropped into the water and pulled up his boxers.

“MABEL!” Dipper screamed, trudging up out of the water. His sister was giggling hysterically, holding her phone to her chest. “Mabel! Delete it! Delete it _NOW!_ ”

She was bright pink she was laughing so hard.

“I… can’t…” Mabel gasped between bouts of giggles. Dipper heard his phone blowing up. To his horror, the picture of his bare backside in the water was sent to the chat group.

_A Wild Unicorn suddenly appears! - Mabel_

_Whoohoo! Sexy Dipper! - Wendy_

_I just made this my wallpaper - Candy_

_I’ll give you a thousand dollars each to delete this! - Pacifica_

_No way! Hey, you going to blow this one up and frame it? - Wendy_

_What? No! - Pacifica_

_Just keep it in a special place then, I gotcha sista! - Wendy_

_I’m going to take this to the closet where I made out with that wizard. - Grenda_

Dipper stared in horror as the texts flew back and forth between them. He knew what he had to do… His fingers danced on the keypad and hit send with a smug look on his face to his sister. Mabel looked down at the text and erupted in even more laughter.

_Guys, the joke was funny, but it’s really embarrassing. You all mean a lot to me and if you could please delete the picture, I would be very grateful to you all. We’re friends and I know I’d do the same for you. - Dipper_

_Is that so? Did you throw away those bikini pictures of Wendy last summer? - Pacifica_

_What? When did you take those? - Wendy_

_Oh, it was that little blue one… I saw them when I stayed the night. he has a little scrapbook with your name on it. - Pacifica_

_Does he have one of me? - Candy_

_Sorry Candy… but I’ll make him one! You have any cute pictures? - Mabel_

_I have lots… I have an idea! We can play photography when we come over! - Candy_

_What? That sounds stupid - Wendy_

_Only because you’ve already gotten your picture taken - Candy_

_I have a nice high end digital camera. I can bring some clothes for us to model too! - Pacifica_

_YAY! Fashion show! - Candy_

_I’ll bring all my clothes too! - Grenda_

_Can we take pictures of my dolls too? - Billeah_

_Sure thing sweetie! - Pacifica_

_Dipper, we’re going to have a talk about those bikini photos later… - Wendy_

_I want a photo with Dipper! - Candy_

_Me too! - Grenda_

_We’ll all take turns don’t worry. I know for a fact he has some nicer outfits than the shambles he normally wears. - Pacifica_

_Do I have any say in this? - Dipper_

_No - Everyone_

Dipper closed the phone and buried his head in his hands. Mabel tossed him his shoes and clothes and grinned.

“Hey, now they’re fighting over you.” Mabel giggled.

“The Stans are going to kill me… I’m going to be locked up in my library.” He groaned, pulling on his clothes.

*           *           *

Dipper trudged the path back home. Mabel skipped along beside him grinning ear to ear and singing her unicorn song. Mabel tackle hugged him and almost knocked him off balance.

“Hey!” She said grinning.

“You look like you’re in a better mood.” Dipper said.

“I am!” Mabel said. “Wasn’t today fun?”

“Other than being humiliated?” Dipper said.

“Oh… you were just going to humiliate yourself anyway, this way it’s on me and not you! Plus, Wendy said your butt was cute!” Mabel grinned.

“Don’t remind me…” Dipper groaned.

“What’s wrong? Is it because of your burns?” Mabel said, her tone immediately changed. “If that’s the case, I’ll tell them that, and I’m sure they’ll get rid of the picture.”

“No, I honestly don’t think about it anymore. Stan told Grandpa I wear them like a badge of honor… I guess it’s true. They don’t really bother me anymore. This is who and what I am.” Dipper said.

“Then what’s wrong?” Mabel asked.

“Well, I was kinda expecting something to happen… I had this whole day built up in my head… we got a weird photo, but that’s it. No gnome invasion, No trees coming to life, No lake monster… Everything was set up for… something to happen.”

“Just be happy it…” Mabel said and stopped. Dipper heard it too. There was rustling off the path and heading their direction. Dipper and Mabel dove into the bushes and peered through the branches.

“What is it?” Mabel whispered.

“I don’t know!” Dipper replied and covered Mabel’s mouth.

From the edge of the foliage stepped a white cloven hoof, followed by a white silvery mane. Dipper felt his hand being bitten. Mabel was pressing his palm against her mouth to muffle her scream as a single horn poked through the brush and revealed a magnificent unicorn.

Mabel screamed into his hand and she began to punch him repeatedly. It moved fully on the path and nibbled on some grass.

“Should I go?” Mabel asked. Dipper shrugged. “I should go!”

Mabel left her cover and slowly walked on the path. The unicorn paused and looked at her, then returned to eating. Mabel was right next to the creature. She slowly bent down and grabbed a handful of grass and held it forward. The unicorn approached Mabel slowly, and sniffed her hand. It began to eat the grass and Mabel reached out to pet the nose of the majestic beast.

“MABEL! RUN!” Dipper screamed. To his horror a black pulsating blob slithered from the trees and landed behind the unicorn. A tendril shot out like lightning, skewering the unicorn, sending a spray of silvery blood raining down on his sister. Mabel’s face was twisted in horror and she was frozen where she stood. The Unicorn swelled from the inside and exploded leaving her to face the black monstrous horror behind it.

Dipper lunged out of his hiding spot, and shoved his sister out of the way. The force of her landing seemed to snap her out of it. Mabel looked around, as if snapped out of a daze.

“Dipper!” She screamed.

“RUN!” Dipper yelled and charged forward to the black mass before him.

“ARE YOU CRAZY!” Mabel screamed. Dipper grabbed a felled stick and charged into the shadowy mass.

*           *           *

“Come on out!” Dipper screamed and swung the stick around him.

“You think you’re protecting them?” A disembodied voice demanded. “ _I’m_ the protector, you’re the imposter.”

“Show yourself!” Dipper demanded. He swung fruitlessly at the fog.

“SOOS TO THE RESCUE!” Came a voice from behind him. Blinding lights pierced through the smoke. The disembodied voice screamed in agony as Stan and his Grandpa shone handheld spotlights all around the ground.”

“What are you waiting for? Get on!” His Grandpa yelled.

“How do I know you’re you!?” Dipper screamed, He could feel the shadowy tendrils crawl around his legs.

“What are you, stupid? What other choice you have?” Stan asked, holding out his hand. Dipper grasped it, Soos slammed the accelerator and they tore out of the black pulsating mass of shadows.

“Where’s Mabel! We forgot Mabel!” Dipper screamed, and clawed over Stan, trying to get his sister.

“She’s already at home!” Stan said and pulled deeper down onto his seat. “She ran in covered in some sort of blood, carrying what she says is a Unicorn horn and rambling about you. We got out here as soon as we could. 

“I don’t understand… I was only in there for a few minutes.” Dipper said.

“I think it’s gone.” Soos said, looking in the rear view mirror. “We’re almost to the Shack.”

Dipper relaxed as the iconic Mystery Shack filled his view. Soos drove the golf cart past the shack and to the house. Mabel, Wendy, and Pacifica waited on the porch, all with worried looks on their faces. Soos pulled up to the porch, Stan grabbed Dipper, and carried him inside.

“Dipper!” the all cried out in unison. They started to rush him, but Stan shot them a warning glare.

“Not… till I check him out. You girls go home. Mabel, Keep Billeah in her room. We don’t know what happened, or what Dipper may have brought home. If I say he has a clean bill of health and after I beat some sense into him, Mabel will call you.”

“I’m fine…” Dipper protested, Stan punched him in his stomach, the pain knocked his breath out and he could barely move.

“Go home girls…” Stan said. Dipper watched Wendy put her arm around Pacifica and lead her down the stairs.

Stan brought him into the library and set him in a chair with a ring of what appeared to be salt around it and closed the door behind him.

*           *           *

Dipper was finally given a clean bill of health. Stan and his grandfather worked for hours interrogating him, spell after spell was cast on him to see if any of the black substance latched on when he was brought home. He asked over and over what it was, but never got an answer.

Dipper trudged upstairs to his room and collapsed on his bed exhausted. He heard his door open and a pair of shuffling feet approach.

“Dipper? Stan said you’re okay.” Mabel said, getting into his bed and wrapping herself around him. Billeah sat next to him and stroked his hair.

“I’m sorry about your unicorn.” Dipper said.

“It wasn’t real… I grabbed the horn and ran home. I know they’re magical, and I figured it could help me. After I waited an hour, it kinda… melted into mud and sticks. All the blood I washed off was mud as well. I probably won’t sleep well for a few weeks, but I’ll be ok. You were inside that thing for over an hour! What happened?”

“I swear it was only about five minutes. The voice in the woods, it was the same one. It said some weird things I don’t understand.” Dipper said shaking his head.

“Want me to cancel the sleepover?” Mabel asked.

“Don’t let my weekly brush with death ruin our fun. I’m supposed to be the male model for your fashion show… or something.”

“Can I keep your pictures?” Billeah asked. Dipper smiled and nodded. She leaned over and kissed his forehead and lay down in front of him. She pulled his arm around to cover her. “I was scared. More scared than ever. You need to be careful.”

“I thought I was.” Dipper whispered. Billeah and Mabel both squeezed him and refused to let him go. He was too exhausted to protest and fell asleep. 


	10. Bad Decisions

**_October 4, 2014_ **

_I’m coming for you Dipper. I’m going to take back what you stole!_

*           *           *

Dipper woke up with a start. Mabel was gone, and Billeah slept soundly next to him. He moved to get up, but there was a slight whimper from her as she clung to him. Dipper slid his arm under her head and pulled her close to him.

“I’m not letting you go.” Billeah whispered.

“I’m here…” Dipper said and kissed her forehead.

“You almost left us… you almost died.” Billeah said.

“I almost die like every week.” Dipper chuckled. Billeah slapped his chest.

“No… not like this.” Billeah said. “You’re making my chest hurt.”

“My chest hurts too.” Dipper said. They looked at each other and sat up. Mabel ran into the bedroom crying.

“DIPPER GET DOWNSTAIRS NOW!”

*           *           *

“I’m sorry Mr. and Mr. Pines.” Soos said, fidgeting with his fingers. “I… I wanted to try and put this off, but Melody is about to have our baby, last night’s crazy stuff was just too much. I want to be around for our little girl.”

“Soos, we can work this out. You’ve been my handyman since you were a kid! What are we going to do without you?” Stanford pleaded.

“I’m sorry Mr. Pines. I love the Shack, my life has always been here... but my life is with Melody now. There’s too many things happening around here and last night helped me make my decision. I’m a responsible adult now. I’m married and I have to take care of my family. What would _you_ do in this situation?” Soos said, he looked over at Dipper and sighed. “We know what you do in this situation, and I don’t want that for my little girl.”

“Soos, please!” Stanford cried. “Just, stay and do the handiwork, we won’t ask you to deal with any weird stuff.”

“You know that won’t work. I love you guys and I love the kids. You know I’d do anything for them if I’m here. Lately, it’s beginning to feel like I have to choose between my family at home and my family here. I don’t like to choose, but I have to.” Soos said and set down his green question mark shirt. “I’m officially turning in my uniform. Melody and I are going to move to Portland. We’ll be staying with her mom until I find another job.”

“Soos!” Stanford pleaded. Stan put his hand on his brother’s shoulder and shook his head.

“A man’s got to make his choice, and Soos did... for good reason. I don’t blame you, and I respect your decision.” Stan said. “I may not have known you as long as my brother, but I know you are a wonderful person and a dear friend. You ever need anything, call us.”  

Stanford was almost in tears. He grabbed Soos and gave him a hug. Dipper, Mabel and Billeah ran forward and grabbed him too.

“Aww, you guys.” Soos said.

“We’re going to miss you!” Mabel cried. “You better come visit us!”

“We will! Melody is really good at video calls, so you dudes can call us anytime and we’ll talk.” Soos smiled, wiping away his tears.

“What about your grandma?” Dipper asked. “Your life is her soap opera!”

“She doesn’t want to move and gave us her blessing to leave. I want you to take care of her while I’m gone.” Soos said.

“I’ll visit her and make sure she’s okay.” Dipper promised.

“Well, I need to go and pack. We’re leaving next weekend. I want to spend some time getting used to not coming in before we head out.”

“Soos…” Stanford said. “I just want you to know that… you were more than a handyman to me. I love you like a son and, as painful as it is, I hope you do well on your own.”

Soos stood at attention and saluted. “I will do you proud!”

Everyone waved at Soos as he drove away from the Mystery Shack for the last time.

“Another hole has opened with no way to be filled.” Billeah said, holding Soos’s Question Mark shirt. She handed it to Dipper who carefully folded it.

“It just seemed rather sudden, didn’t it?” Dipper asked. “I know he was planning on getting his own place and having a family, he talked all the time about how happy he was. Do you think Rick had something to do with it?”

“We can’t tell… Rick’s whispers are so soft, most feel they are their own conclusions.” Billeah said.

“We can’t know, and it’s not going to get us anywhere thinking about what we don’t know” Stanford said. “Soos was a man, and made his choice. Honestly, I think it was the right one. The rest of us may have some sort of death wish poking our heads into all this crazy but Soos needs to take care of his own… not us. If his departure means more bad things are coming our way… I say bring it!”

Dipper looked up at his Grandfather with a new respect. His Uncle nodded in approval and put his hand on Stanford’s shoulder.

“We’ll be ready.” Stan said, and went back inside.

Dipper walked to his library, set Soos’s shirt next to Robbie’s hoodie, and locked the case.

“I have a feeling, I’m going to need to make more room…” Dipper said with a sigh. “There are ten of us, and so far 2 are gone.”

“This… still has some of their strings, even if they have cut them.” Billeah said and pointed to Robbie’s hoodie.

“Dipper?” Mabel said, poking her head through the door.

‘Yeah?” Dipper responded.

"We should cancel with the others." She said, though it sounded more like a decision than a suggestion. Dipper sighed. He wanted to, but what good would that do? Mabel, Billeah, Grandpa and Uncle Stan are all feeling down. Having the girls over to liven things up may cheer everyone up.

“Nah… Let’s keep it going.” Dipper said with a grin. “Hey, tell them we’re going to include pets to the fashion show.”

“OH MY GOD! I JUST MADE THE CUTEST SWEATER FOR WADDLES!” Mabel said with glee and ran upstairs.

“You know how to put her in a good mood.” Billeah said softly.

“Oh? She’s not the only one I know how to do that with.” Dipper said. He swiftly knelt down and kissed Billeah’s cheek.

“That’s not fair.” She said with a grin.

“I want to do some reading during the calm before the storm, Why don’t you get a selection of your dolls ready? I’m sure Mabel would want to some pictures of them riding on Waddles.” Dipper said.

Billeah seemed to think about it and nodded. She gave him a hug, and ran upstairs.

“Even after two years, it’s still weird to see him...her like that. My brother does nothing but sing her praises, but she still creeps me out.”

Dipper looked over and saw Stan leaning in the doorway. Dipper absently flipped through a dusty book he picked up from the internet.

“You weren’t here when I gave her a token. There’s a barrier that holds back the insanity. Sometimes it can leak through, but it’s more with her emotional state.” Dipper said. “She said these still hold some strings… I don’t know what that means, but I can’t bear to let them go.”

“I think what she means is they still hold what makes the person who they are, or were, when Bill chose them. Hang on to them, and don’t ever get rid of them. You never know when they will become useful again... or they may just remain mementos that will haunt you about a past you can never get back.”

Stan’s gaze lingered on the three journals and he sighed. Without a word, he grabbed Dipper and embraced him. This was the first time Stan had ever really shown any sort of affection other than his grudging respect.

“I wish I was there for you when you were born, I just hope we can make it to see you grow up to be a man.” Stan said, letting him go. “After yesterday, it was almost like a slap in the face how ill equipped you are.”

“Stan…” Dipper said, rubbing the back of his neck. “I’m doing just fine… I passed the hundred or so trials of the Manotaurs and defeated a Multi-bear in single combat when I was 12. I think I’m doing ok.”

“You ran head first into a pulsating blob of shadows to protect your sister with a stick… you were not thinking clearly and had no plan on how to fight it. That’s ill-prepared in my book. Tonight’s your last hurrah. Enjoy it. Your Grandpa and I are going to start our boot camp in the morning.” Stan said gruffly.

“What about Mabel?” Dipper asked. “She and Billeah are just as much a part of this as anything.”

“We’re trying to decide what to do with your sister. You’ve shown time and again that you decided to be the protector, so we’re going to make sure you’re equipped to follow your instincts.”

Dipper nodded, and looked down to his feet. Stan placed his massive hand on Dippers head and messed his hair.

“Go have fun… make a few decisions you’ll regret later… and just be a kid tonight.”

“Can we get into your beer?” Dipper asked with a grin.

“Ha! Not _that_ much regret!” Stan laughed.

*           *           *

Dipper had fun with the impromptu fashion show. Pacifica and Wendy tore through his wardrobe and he dressed in the outfits laid out for him without complaint. They held the activities in Billeah’s room, as it was the largest and most sparse of the spaces.

Dipper groaned when Pacifica removed a manila folder from one of her many bags she bought and produced the photo of him wearing a daisy crown.

“Now, I only got 8x10’s. The bigger pictures would have been too cumbersome to carry.” Pacifica said with a grin and passed them out to everyone.

“Oh it’s so pretty!” Candy squealed. “I shall put it by my bed! Dipper! Sign it for me! Put… _Always in my heart… love, your Big Dipper!”_

Dipper groaned and did what she asked. Candy squealed and ran to Billeah’s bed hugging the photo. Pacifica was right in front of him holding out her picture with a sly smile on her face.

“Only if you want to, I just don’t want to be left out. It really doesn’t matter.” Pacifica said.

“What do you want it to say…” Dipper said flatly. 

“Oh I don’t know…” Pacifica said. Dipper nodded and wrote.

_Pacifica,_

_Even though we started out with a wall between us, I know I can overcome any barrier with you in my corner._

_-Dipper_

He handed the picture back to Pacifica who read it silently. Wendy looked over her shoulder with wide eyes.

“Wow…” was all Wendy said. Pacifica’s eyes teared up and she excused herself. “You didn’t pull any punches there.”

“It’s true, I can’t imagine being without any of you. Soos leaving really showed me that.”

“So, not that I need that sort of thing… what would you put on mine?” Wendy asked. Dipper smiled and pulled the photo from her hand. “Hey! Don’t bend it!”

Dipper stuck his tongue out and wrote on his picture.

_Wendy,_

_You can always take shelter under me,_

_\- Your Pinetree_

He gave the photo back to Wendy. She read it and punched him in the arm.

“So not fair!” She said. “Are you _trying_ to make everyone cry tonight?”

Mabel, Billeah and Grenda lined up in front of him with their pictures. Pacifica came back from wherever she went to and put the picture in her backpack. He saw Wendy show Pacifica her photo as he signed Mabel’s

_To Mabel,_

_I can move forward each and every day knowing you’ve got my back. I know I can do anything with you right behind me._

_\- Dip_

“Aww… that’s so sweet Brobro!” Mabel said and hugged him.

“I’m next!” Grenda said excited and shoved the photo in his face. Dipper took it with a grin.

“You want something specific or want me to write something?” Dipper asked. Grenda thought about it for a moment.

“Well, I want you to write “Grenda, I think you’re the hottest girl ever. We’re going to run away and become bankrobbers…” she said with a grin. Dipper handed her the photo back.

“I... think this is better.” He said with a grin.

_Grenda,_

_I admire your energy and spunk. It makes me happy that you’re our friend and that my sister is in good hand whenever you’re around. I hope you guys make many bad decisions together and come out of them a better person._

_\- Dipper_

“Hooray for bad decisions!” Grenda shouted and showed everyone.

Billeah hopped forward grinning ear to ear and gave him her photo.

“Do whatever…” she said.

_Billeah,_

_Broken strings and unseen things don’t mean a thing between you and me._

_\- Dipper._

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Wendy asked. Billeah held it to her chest and moved to her seat by her laptop. Dipper shrugged.

“Hey Candy, I’m sure Pacifica has a few spares, I can put something better on yours.” Dipper offered.

“Nope! I’m happy living a lie!” Candy said with a giggle.

Dipper leaned back in his chair and unbuttoned his collar. He surveyed the room and smiled. Mabel and Billeah were rummaging through Pacifica’s bags, Wendy was chatting with Pacifica. Candy and Grenda were talking. It was a good final hurrah. Dipper laughed to himself, he really did need to get some guy friends to hang out with.

“OH MY GOD!” Mabel screamed and produced a second manila envelope. “SHE REALLY DID MAKE COPIES!

“MABEL NO! I WAS SAVING THOSE FOR WHEN HE WAS ASLEEP!” Pacifica said with a panicked look. “DON’T OPEN THAT!

Dipper watched in horror as Mabel tore open the yellow envelope and produced glossy 8x10 photos of his backside

“DIPPER SIGN MINE!” Candy squealed.

*           *           *

Dipper sat on the porch swing. He took a sip of beer he stole from his Uncle and winced at the taste. He slipped out during the chaos of his candid photo distribution. Uncle Stan said you could drink to forget, and that’s something he wanted purged.

He was staring off into space when he felt someone sit next to him. He looked over to see Wendy. She plopped down next to him and kicked her feet out and sighed.

“You sure know how to disappear.” Wendy said.

“It was getting crazy in there, I needed some air.” Dipper said, taking another drink. Wendy took the can and inspected it.

“Someone’s trying to be a bad-ass.” Wendy said and took a swig herself.

“Yup, been hitting the bottle since I was 12...” Dipper said.

“So like, how many cans have you had in all that time?” Wendy chuckled.

“I think, if I finish this one, like one and a half?” Dipper chuckled. “My uncle kept offering it to me; I had a sip finally during a really bad day. It still tastes like gym socks.”

Wendy took another big chug and let out a huge burp. “Yeah, it’s not that good.”

“Stan says you don’t drink for the taste. You drink to remember or forget.”

“So… which one you trying to do?” Wendy asked, passing the can to him. 

“A little bit of both?” Dipper said taking a drink. He tilted it back, and finished the can. “Wish I could forget that everyone has a photo of my birthday suit.”

“It’s tastefully done.” Wendy chuckled. “Why, you want ones of us to make it even? Honestly as crazy it’s getting up there, I’m sure that we can easily make it happen. Candy would be the first in line with Pacifica a close second.”

“Ha…” Dipper said. He opened the second can he stole and took a drink.

“Slow down there.” Wendy said, her voice changed from jovial to concern. “What’s going on?”

“What _isn’t_ going on?” Dipper said. His head was swimming. “Tonight is my last hurrah, or so my Uncle told me. I’m to go and have fun, make some bad decisions, and be ready for training tomorrow.” Dipper said taking another swig. “Since crap keeps happening… Soos left, Robbie’s a zombie, and Gideon’s nowhere to be found. The same with McGucket… I’m going to start some rigorous sort of boot camp thing with those two on top of studying for my High School equivalency test, and lots of other things. I’m feeling overwhelmed! It’s like everything is against me being here!”

“Dipper! Not everyone’s against you.” Wendy said. “We all kinda know what happened yesterday and I know how you get after… things happen. It’s scary and we wanted to surround you with people who love you.”

“Don’t… please don’t say that.” Dipper whispered. His head really hurt, he shook the can and noticed it was half empty. Did he drink that much already? Wendy sighed and took the can away. She finished the rest and set it down.

“Dipper,” Wendy said, turning his face to look at her. “You’re the most capable person I know, whenever you feel overwhelmed, just talk to me… or Pacifica… your sister… your cousin… uncle… grandfather… we will all hold you up and make sure you make it through whatever is going on. You’re important to us… important to me.”

“Wendy…” Dipper whispered.

“Tonight’s all about bad decisions right?” Wendy said with a grin, and pulled him to her. Before he could register what was happening he felt Wendy’s soft lips against his. His mind went numb, all stress and fear melted away as it was flooded with emotions. He didn’t know how long it was, but Wendy broke away, panting.

“Damnit Dipper…” Wendy whispered, her head pressed against his and breathing heavy. “I kept telling myself next year… why do you have to make it so hard?”

She stood up and went inside, leaving Dipper alone. Dipper sat in dumbfounded silence.

“Well, _that_ just happened.” Stan said from the other end of the porch, hidden in shadow. The glow of a cigar illuminated his craggy face. The grin he wore only added to the sheer terror he exuded.

“Wah!” Dipper jumped out of his skin. Stan stood up from the chair and slowly walked over to the porch swing and sat down beside Dipper. He looked down at the two empty cans of beer and sighed.

“Taking my advice I see…” Stan said.

“Bad decisions…” Dipper agreed. “My head is swimming. I can’t tell if it’s from her or the beer.”

“Probably both…” Stan said. “You know that can’t happen.”

“But… she likes me!” Dipper protested. “It’s finally happening!”

“How old are you?” Stan asked.

“Fourteen, fifteen soon!” Dipper replied.

“And her?”

“almost seventeen…” Dipper said.

“And when you’re fifteen… you got what… a few months before she’s eighteen?” Stan said.

“Yeah… so?” Dipper said defiantly.

“You realize what happens then…” Stan said sternly. “She can go to jail.”

“But…” Dipper protested.

“You think that you open up this can of worms… right now… during everything else going on, everything that could go wrong won’t? Forces beyond our control are vying to tear what we have apart. I’m sorry if you’re going to have to take a stab to the heart but if it’s meant to be, you’ll be able to wait till you’re an adult. I warn you though… four years can change a lot about a person. The Wendy you know now may not be the same then. And you may not be the same either, Dipper.”

“Why can’t things stay the same?” Dipper whispered.

“Change is the only thing you can count on in this world.” Stan said, putting his arm around Dipper. He laid his head on his Uncle’s shoulder and let out all his anger, frustration and pain he’d bottled up.

*           *           *

Dipper sat at his kitchen table, nursing a cup of coffee. His head throbbed and his stomach churned. He looked up at the clock, it said one thirty in the morning. The party was starting to wind down as the music thumping in Mabel’s room came to a lull. He had hoped to see Wendy again, but knew she probably would play dumb and deny everything.

Dipper laid his head on the table and banged it a few times.

“That won’t help.” Pacifica said as she came down the stairs. She’d have already changed into her nightgown and robe. He looked up and saw her crinkled her nose as she took a seat next to him. “You smell like a brewery.” 

“Bad decisions are the theme of the evening.” He groaned and banged his head again.

“So I can surmise.” Pacifica said. She moved behind him and pulled his head back. Her light fingers found the soft spots on his temples and deftly worked them. “My masseuse showed me this for when Daddy has a bad night. He usually has a Scotch when he’s stressed out.”

“That’s nice…” Dipper said. Her fingers seemed to know where the pain was and pressed it out.

“It’s supposed to be.” Pacifica said. “Sooo…”

Dipper didn’t like the tone she just did. Something in his lizard brain said to run.

“A certain redheaded acquaintance of ours seems slightly disheveled and also smells of hops.” Pacifica said coolly. “You wouldn’t know anything about that?”  

“Can I borrow your lawyer for council?” Dipper asked.

“No need…” Pacifica said sweetly. “I am aware of how things are. I will admit… it hurts. But, you’ve not professed undying devotion to me… nor I you.”

“It’s been pointed out the whole situation is a tragedy waiting to happen.” Dipper said. Pacifica kept rubbing his temples.

“Well, everyone can see that. But we all know our Dipper.” Pacifica said sweetly. “Don’t think I’m going to run away and cry in the corner.”

“Pacifica…” Dipper said. “We…”

“Don’t.” Pacifica said, covering his mouth. “If you say anything more, I don’t know what I’ll do. It’s none of my business until it becomes my business. Do we understand each other? I just came down to check on you.”

Dipper nodded. Pacifica moved from behind him and put her palm on his cheek. She looked at him and smiled. She leaned down and kissed him softly on the lips and pulled away. Dipper returned her smile.

“Another bad decision to tally this evening?” Dipper asked.

“Oh Dipper, my silly boy…” Pacifica said, her palm trailing down his chin. “ _I_ never make bad decisions.”

With that she turned away and headed back upstairs. 


	11. Field Trip

**_October 6, 2014_ **

“My arms are going to break!” Dipper protested.

“I think my brother hawked all the craps I give.” Stan shouted.

“Hey!” Stanford shouted. “You’re doing good Dipper! Twenty more!”

Dipper’s back was covered in book stacks four high. He was doing pushups with small votive candles under his chest, having to stop and push up before the flames burned into him.

“What… kind of… sick… person… came up… with this?” Dipper grunted out as he counted out six more pushups.

“I think Stan saw it in some kung-fu movie when we were in high school.” Stanford said.

“Hey, It worked for me didn’t it?” Stan said. Dipper finished the twenty count and collapsed on his side, spilling the books over.

“Alright… we’re going to give you a test.” Stan said.

“Stan… I’m not sure we should.” Stanford said. “He’s not ready.”

Dipper got on his feet and stretched. Multiple joints popped in protest. His arm and legs burned, he was sweating all over and he still had an hour before school started.

“Guys, I need to take a shower soon.” Dipper said.

“Good, Here’s your test.” Stan said. He withdrew a knife and cut a rope that was tied to a tree. Dipper watched in horror as a humanoid creature fell from about ten feet up. It stood up, looked around and locked eyes on Dipper. It was only three feet tall with spindly legs and arms. Hair all over its body and face with a long nose and sharp fangs for teeth. It wore a hat that was red and almost looked like a mushroom.

“What is _that?_ ” Dipper cried. The creature reached down and picked up a pike with a jagged edge and rushed forward. Dipper was able to duck away just in time and get behind the thing.

“Don’t ask me…” Stan said.

“It’s trying to kill me!” Dipper screamed and tried to scramble up a tree.

“Isn’t that what things do?” Stan said. “Take care of it. Analyze it, find it’s weakness. Everyone has one! Yours just happens to have red hair.”

“You’re not helping!” Dipper screamed. “I thought you were going to be _helping!_ ”

“You think you’ll have no distractions in a real fight?” Stan screamed. The creature clawed at the tree, working its way up. Dipper took the opportunity to jump out of the tree. Both of his feet connected with the creature’s face. He landed gracefully, putting the monsters’ head into the ground. He felt a sickening crunch as the bones gave way from the impact. Dipper rolled to break his fall. He got up, breathing heavy and walked back to Stan and his Grandfather.

“You’re not done…” Stan said.

“What?” Dipper aid in horror as he heard the sound of grinding bones behind him. The monster stood up, his misshapen face rearranged and fitted back into place. Fire burned in the monster’s eyes as he ran forward, his pike readied in front of him.

“Help!” Dipper screamed.

“THINK! USE THAT BRAIN!” Stan screamed “What is it!”

“I can’t think about that!” Dipper screamed as he parried the thrusts the creature made. “It’s short!”

“Good! What else!”

“It’s ugly!” Dipper screamed. The pike raked across his shoulder. Pain exploded through his body. Stan remained silent, and held back Stanford. “It’s short, has a pike and an ugly hat.”

“WHAT ELSE! He’s going to stop playing with you soon and get serious!” Stan shouted.

“The hat’s red!” Dipper screamed. The image of a page from Journal 2 flashed in his mind. “It’s a Redcap!”

“GOOD! Now _TAKE CARE OF IT!_ ” Stan shouted and tossed something in the air. Dipper leapt forward and grabbed the small rectangular item. He rolled out of the way from another spear thrust and looked in his hand.

It was a Zippo lighter.

Dipper nodded and rushed the creature. The Redcap thrust repeatedly, Dipper dodged most of them, the few that got through his defenses left superficial cuts he’d worry about later. The Redcap was trying to scramble back to get distance between them, but Dipper grabbed the pike and pulled the Redcap forward.

He dove straight for the creature, and landed on the other side, holding the red hat it wore. The creature looked horrified as he flicked the lighter on and held it next to the cap.

“DO IT!” Stan screamed. Dipper looked into the Redcap’s eyes. It was filled with terror. The Redcap threw down it’s pike in surrender and reached out for it’s cap. Dipper could feel what it wanted, and what it was asking… mercy. “DO IT DIPPER!

Dipper sighed and handed the hat back to the Redcap. The creature grabbed it’s pike and fled into the woods.

“WHAT THE HECK DID YOU DO!?” Stan screamed. “It took me weeks to find one! Now it’s running around! You were supposed to eliminate it! You can’t afford mercy with these creatures! You turn your back on them and they will kill you, enslave you, turn you to stone, eat you or worse!”

“He was only attacking because you captured him and forced him to fight me!” Dipper yelled back. “He didn’t deserve to die because you want to teach me a lesson!”

“That IS THE LESSON!” Stan screamed. “You can’t make that final push! You need to put that Dipper aside, deal and make a choice that will save you and everyone around you, no matter what!”

Dipper stared down Stan and looked over at his Grandpa. Stanford couldn’t look Dipper in the eyes and seemed upset over the whole thing.

“I need to go to school.” Dipper said and gathered up his things. “I’ll see you tonight.”

*           *           *

Dipper plopped in his chair at the cafeteria and put his head in his hands. He was sore, cranky and miserable.

“What’s wrong with him?” Pacifica asked, setting her tray next to him. Mabel looked down at him and shrugged.

“Grandpa and Grunkel have him doing stuff in the mornings. Since he’s careless, reckless and dives head first into unknown globules shadows to save me, they think he needs to work on his critical thinking skills.”  Mabel said with a _pat-pat_ to his back. He winced in pain as his muscles protested the assault. Billeah sat in front of him, leaned over and _pat-pat_ -ed his head.

“Does defeating a Multi-bear in single combat not count for anything these days?” Dipper proclaimed rather loudly. A few of the students looked over at him with a curious look and went back to their conversations.

“Dipper, when you’re done slobbering into your food, can you look at my homework?” Mabel asked, sliding a sticker and glitter covered binder over to him. Billeah proceeded to do the same with her yellow bee stripped binder. Dipper looked up weary eyed and met their grinning gazes.

“I suppose you need help too?” He said as he turned to Pacifica.

“Are you joking? These classes are so rudimentary. I may not be taking senior courses, but I have to strain to keep awake through most of these classes. The way they drone on… how can you learn like this? I miss PowerPoint… and guest lectures.”

“Oh! We had one in class last week!” Mabel said with a grin. “And we had a field trip to the water reclamation center! It was so cool!”

“My last field trip was a three week tour of Europe to study the various cathedrals and museums of the Renaissance.” Pacifica said dryly. “But… yay water!”

“You can still start next semester at your old school.” Billeah said. “We’ll be here when you get back.”

“No… I made a commitment. Northwests always honor those.” Pacifica said with a grin.

“Commitment to what? Going to school here or my brother?” Mabel asked, and put a spoonful of mashed potatoes in her mouth. Dipper and Billeah looked at her horrified. “What? Are we still dancing around this?” She asked, pointing her spoon between Dipper and Pacifica

“MABEL!!” Dipper hissed and pulled his hat down. Pacifica cleared her throat and picked at her food.

“They could at least have allowed Daddy to hire a better cook... this stuff is so… bland.” Pacifica said, changing the subject.

Dipper put his head on the table and closed his eyes. He was exhausted.

“Dippy…” Pacifica said, and gave his back a pat. “Math starts soon; you want me to tell them you’re not feeling well?”

“No… I need to keep this up… Once I get the test done and over with, then I’ll have more free time.” Dipper sighed.

“Dear, don’t overwork yourself. We’ve only just started the school year.” Pacifica said.

“Yeah… about that.” Dipper grimaced. He knew this news was going to be upsetting to her. “I’m taking the test next week.”

Mabel dropped her fork.

“What?” Pacifica said. “But… I thought we’d have the whole year!”

“No no no! Don’t… I’m still staying the year. I have a few more classes that I need to pass for this to go through. My teachers agree I know all I need and can pass it now… then when I graduate, I won’t be just graduating 8th grade, but with my diploma. It will free up some of my time and I won’t have to study so much schoolwork. Then I’ll only have to be at school for one class a quarter.”

“But… what about?” Pacifica started. She closed her eyes and took a breath. “No… that’s a question the old me would ask.”

“What is it?” Dipper said.

“It’s just… Since we’re not dancing around the subject anymore, you know why I came here. It’s just so frustrating I won’t get to see you or have a normal school life with you.” Pacifica sighed.

“What’s a normal school life?” Dipper said. “Boring classes? Freaking out about tests? Locker jams?”

“No… meeting up after class, going to dances, spending time with friends.” Pacifica said. “What most people do at school?”

“Why was it so hard to do that at your school?” Dipper asked. “If you had a dance there, you know I’d go.”

“It… it just wouldn’t be the same.” Pacifica said. “I’m really trying to change myself, to be better than my family. If I go back to that place, I just know I’ll slip and fall into old habits.”

“So,” Dipper said with a smile. “You’re coming here for you, and not me. You’re just using me as an excuse.”

“I guess so.” Pacifica admitted.

“Will it help your school fantasy if I walked you to most of your classes?” Dipper asked. “I’ll even hold your books for you.”

“Dipper,” Pacifica said with a smile. “Just offering is enough, I don’t want you to go out of your way like that. I know you have a lot on your plate.”

“Not really… I think my sister ate most of it while we were talking.” Dipper said, looking down at his empty lunch plate. Mabel’s mouth was stuffed full and giggling.

“I’m so glad you two lovebirds could work it out!” Mabel said with a mouthful. Billeah grinned from ear to ear.

“Mabel… it’s not like that.” Dipper protested.

“Candy’s heart will break,” Billeah said with a grin, “But it’s for the best…”

“Billeah, what are you doing? Who are you texting!” Dipper tried to grab Billeah’s phone. She deftly moved it out of his reach.

“DIPPER, NOOOOO!” Candy cried as she entered from the other side of the cafeteria.

“Too bad we couldn’t be scheduled for the same lunches…” Mabel said with a grin. “These conversations would be much more fun.”

“Agreed.” Billeah said. “Forwarded… Wendy. I sunk your Dippership”

“BILLEAH!” Dipper yelled. Pacifica grinned from ear to ear and took a bite of her lunch.

*           *           *

Dipper walked in the door to his house and trudged to his room. He collapsed from exhaustion and tried to take a nap. A wave of sleep washed over him and he felt himself floating. At first, he felt like he was flying… and then it was more like a bumpy car ride. The floating sensation came over him and he was jarred awake as he came crashing on the ground.

“What?” Dipper cried as he sat up. He heard two car doors slam and tires squealing. Looking around, Dipper was horrified. He was in the woods and had no idea how to get home. He tried to get up and saw his hands were tied in front of him. There was a note pinned to his shirt and a bag a few feet away.

Dipper struggled with the ropes for a time before he felt a jagged rock poking out of the dirt. Working the cords against the rock, he frayed them enough to break loose.

First thing he did was take the note off his shirt. He could barely read it. It had to be around one in the morning. Putting the note away, he scrambled for the bag nearby. Inside was an emergency blanket, a pocket knife, and a journal. Dipper pulled it out and felt his stomach drop. It was blank.

The journal was designed the same as his Uncle’s but with a pine tree on the cover with the number 1. Fumbling around inside the bag more, he found a quill, and a few bottles of ink of various colors, an empty water bottle, and three protein bars.

Dipper gathered the rope that bound his hands and put everything back into the backpack. He fumbled around his pockets and was relieved to find his phone. He turned it on to show it was 3 am. Sunrise will be in four more hours. Using the light he read the note.

_Dipper,_

_We need you to stay out here a week. It’s going to help… just trust us. We know you can hold your own against many things, but your reliance on my knowledge is a hinderance. Make your own way and fill your own pages. When… if... you get back, we’ll compare notes. It’s you against the creatures out there. Remember that compassion will get you killed. When you come back, you will be a new man and be able to face any challenge head on without second guessing. This is for real, there is no evacuation, We are all waiting for you at home, hoping you come back to us._

_The Original Mystery Twins_

Dipper felt panic grip his chest. Looking around he could find no recognizable landmarks. He knew there was a dirt road somewhere, he heard the car drive off. Dipper closed his eyes and calmed down. First, he needed water and to get his bearings.

The first thing he did was turn his phone off. Once it died, he’d have no way to track the time, or have a light source. The battery, even turned off, will only last him a week. He needed to find water.

Dipper pushed down the rising panic in his chest. He learned a lot from the Manotaurs, their tests of strength were life threatening, but practical at the same time. Readjusting his pack, he set off into the woods, looking for a game trail. If he followed that, it should lead him to their watering hole. Then he might even set up some traps and get some meat. 


	12. Into the Woods

“Closer…” Dipper whispered. “Almost… there.”

A buck knelt down to the stream and dipped his head into the water. Dipper had a bird’s eye view of his target and launched himself from the tree. He was silent and efficient. The spear he fashioned plunged into the deer’s back, piercing all the way through and burying itself into the ground, effectively pinning the buck to its spot. Dipper pulled out the knife he was given, and quickly opened the artery, bleeding the buck as it protested its death.

Dipper closed his eyes and blocked out the scream and the death throes under him as the buck convulsed and spasamed.

“Shhh,” he whispered into its ear and stroked it’s head. “Wish there was another way, but I have to eat.”

Dipper felt the unsettling stillness of death under him. He let go the buck’s head and pulled out his spear. He wrapped some cords he made around the carcass and dragged the buck back to his camp. 

*           *           *

Dipper finished his drawing and nodded in approval. In his journal, he made his campsite the central hub, and every day would go a different direction to map out where he was. The spaces on the pages were filling in nicely. He mentally noted an empty spot he had not checked yet, and decided that would be a good place to start in the morning.

Turning the pages, he stopped on a blank page and wrote.

_According to my notes, it’s been two weeks since I was left here. I’ve mapped out miles of the woods and have found no roads or traces of civilization. I’ve observed a lot of wildlife, but nothing of a supernatural nature. The nights are getting colder, and I’ve redoubled my efforts of acquiring pelts for my camp to keep me warm. I know Native Americans would use every part of the animal, and I’ve become quite versed in not wasting a thing._

_Bones are hollowed out of their marrow (I’ve become accustomed to their taste and know their nutritional value) and I’ve formed them into an early warning system around my camp. So far, I’ve been alerted to a few wolves who tried to enter my camp while I slept._

_The various organs have been keeping me sustained with vital minerals, and what I’ve not cooked and used, I’ve been able to create a chum that attracts the fish in the river. I had hoped to find salmon, but they are out of season. Trout is just as good!_

_At first, I thought this was a joke, or that Grandpa and Uncle would be back for me. I think they are serious as to the nature of this task. Will they think I’m dead if I’m not back by the deadline? I keep thinking back to the girls. I hope they are all right, and they are all in my heart as I live through this nightmare. I won’t give up._

_I have enough bones to form a crude saw. I plan to use this to gather enough materials to make a drag cart. Wheels are a luxury, With a few pelts tied to some sticks, i’ll be able to transport supplies between water sources. In a few days I’ll move camp closer to the mountain I see. Once up there, I should get a better view of the land, and hope to plot a course back to Gravity Falls._

Dipper closed the page and looked over at the carcass. With a sigh, he pulled out his knife and began dressing the deer. He had hollowed out a number of gourds he found growing to make containers. He knew the blood was not something he wanted to consume, but, if he wanted to keep the wolves away, he would make trails leading away from the camp.

He cooked all the meat he could and gorged himself. The meat would last a few days at best. He’d not found any salt, so preserving the meat was something he’s trying to work out. It was too dangerous to eat after day two, and the last thing he needed was to get food poisoning or a fever.

Dipper settled in for the night and worked on his project in front of the warmth of the fire. He chuckled at the thought of how he got it started to begin with. The pain of crushing his phone for the touch screen glass was the final act of a desperate man. He was able to refract the sun using the glass to start his fires.

Dipper set down the bone needles he fashioned from fish he caught and looked at what he made. It was a cloak that fit him snugly and kept him warm. The hood he had fashioned from the skull of one of the bucks. He chose the one with the biggest antlers and hollowed out the eyes. Dipper could pull the hood over his head, and see through the eyes of the deer. He hoped it would help him hunting, as he could smell like one and they would see his antlers.

Wrapping himself up in furs, he held his spear close and lay back against the tree his lean-to was built up against. He never lay down, should anything disturbs his alarms, he needed to be on his feet and ready.

He’d be ready to go in a few days… Just a few more days.

*           *           *

Dipper checked his map. He had another hour till he reached the next camp site. Part of him worried he was going the wrong direction, but until he made it to the mountain top, he wouldn’t know. It was the only chance he had.

Pulling the sled, he made good time. His routine was natural now. He could set up camp, traps, and get dinner caught in under an hour. He spent most of his time looking for supernatural creatures, but they never seemed to show up. He didn’t understand. At home he couldn't take out the garbage without some naked candy monster trying to eat his face.

Dipper updated his logs and set to work with various projects. He had stopped talking to himself weeks ago, and worked in silence. His ears picked up the sounds of the forest easily. There was a sense of urgency as he worked. He needed to scale the mountain before winter hit. He’d be dead if it snowed. It should take a day to make it to the base, and a day to climb high enough. He didn’t need to make it to the peak, just over the tree line.

After a meal and a night’s rest. Dipper loaded his gear and set back on his path.

*           *           *

The wind chilled him to the bone. He managed to make thick fur pants to wear over his jeans, and a poncho in hopes it would warm him, but the biting wind laughed at his attempts. He started his ascent as early as he could. he didn’t want to be stuck there at night and he had no way to set up camp on the cliff side. 

Dipper shut down his fear and the feeling of cold and made steady progress up the cliff. When he crested the ledge that was his target, he let out a triumphant and defiant yell into the wind! He pulled the journal and flipped to the map page. In the distance, he could see Mt. Hood and Mt. Jefferson.

He closed his eyes and visualize the map of Oregon. Drawing a line from the mountains, he had a good idea where he was. This was probably Mt. Paulina. With a visual of Mt. hood, he knew where north was, and his makeshift map seemed to snap into focus. He quickly added a compass so he knew how to orient it. If he was indeed on Mt. Paulina, it was only a week’s trip to Gravity Falls. Dipper couldn’t contain his excitement and did a victory dance when his foot slipped.

Dipper was confused as to why he felt like he was floating and everything was upside down. There was a sharp crack against the back of his head and everything went black.

*           *           *.

 _Disco girl,_  
Coming through,  
That girl is you  
OOH OOOH, OOH OOOH

“Ohhh my head…” DIpper said, sitting up. he was undressed down to his underwear and covered in furs. “Where am…”

A giant multi-headed bear hovered over him, it’s many heads drooling and snapping. Dipper reached for his spear, finding only a hard rock floor where it should have been.

“Calm down…” the Multi-bear said. Dipper saw this one was different than the one he encountered before. Its fur was brown and had black patches over it. It was definitely bigger.

“I defeated one of your kind before!” Dipper said as he scrambled up.

“That was my brother.” The bear said, holding his hands up. “During our family reunion, he told me about you. I mean you no harm. I actually saved  your life.”

“What do you mean…” Dipper said unconvinced.

“During your little dance, you fell off the ledge, I caught you, but you bonked your head. I brought you back to my cave and sheltered you for the night. If I wanted to eat you I would have.”

“I don’t know…” Dipper said. “This could be a trick.”

“What can I say to prove my intentions?” The Multi-bear said.

“Swear on BABBA.” Dipper said cooly and pointed to the boom box “Because that’s the first thing I break if you try to eat me.”

“I swear on BABBA I have no intention of harming you. What are you doing so far away from home?”

Dipper sat back down in front of the fire. He saw his sled and all his gear had been moved up the mountain and was sitting just inside the cave mouth. The various animal bones had been moved to the side, as if the Multi-bear cleaned up some while he was unconscious.

“My Uncle and Grandfather decided I needed to learn to hone my killer instinct or something and dumped me in the woods almost a month ago. I’ll pass their ‘test’ if I can make it back to Gravity Falls alive.”

“Even us Multi-Bears force such trials on our young. You’re but a cub!” Multi-Bear said.

“So uhh… what do I call you? When I met your brother, I never got his name either.” Dipper had opened his journal and began to draw the Multi-bear and added notes.

“I’ve seen another with a book like that... many, many years ago.” The multi-bear said with a growl.

“Yeah, my Uncle wrote the original journals, he’s having me try to document and learn about the supernatural things on my way back. Oddly enough, I can’t find any and I’ve looked every day. In Gravity Falls, you can’t sneeze without some rainbow barfing gnome being underfoot.”

“That’s because the creatures of this forest hide better than those in my brother’s domain. Your Uncle is a legend around here. He would capture and torment creatures to learn their secrets. He was cruel, heartless, and any cry for mercy fell on deaf ears. His ‘studies’ have left a scar on the lands for generations, and any human carrying a book like that will never find aid in these woods.”

“Oh…” Dipper said and looked at the journal. “I want to say I’m shocked, or hurt, but honestly it makes sense. Does that mean you want me to leave?”  

“No, you’ve shown my brother mercy and kindness, we are BABBA brothers. My cave is yours. And to answer your question, I’m Gary...my brother is Barry.”

“Barry the Multi-Bear?” Dipper said with a snort. “Oh I’m going to have to bring that up at the next Manotaur party.”

“Yes, he is enjoying the newfound kinship you brought to them… I must ask, why go down such a dark and violent path, if you are kind and can bridge the rift between Manotaur and Multi-bear?” 

“What dark and violent…” Dipper asked, Gary pointed to the journal. “Oh… no! I’m not going to torture and capture things like my Uncle.”

“Your pile of trophies says otherwise.” he pointed to the various furs on his sled. “One should only eat till he’s full, and share the rest.”

“Yeah, I needed those for shelter and tools. I didn’t _want_ to kill them.” Dipper said.

“The ways of humans are strange to me.” Gary sighed.

“Hey, maybe you can help me… Introduce me to the creatures of the forest and show them I’m not like my uncle. His journals only talked about ways to defeat them and their weaknesses. I’d like to write about who they are and extend a hand in friendship.”

“Rest for the night, and I will consider it. I will lead you back to my brother’s domain, from there, he can take you back home. ” Gary said.

*           *           *

Dipper knelt down in front of the multitude of tree sprites that cowered in front of him.

“Hey there… What are you names?” Dipper asked. He opened the journal and quickly drew one of them and looked up at the Multi-Bear

“They are wood pixies. They keep the trees alive and protected from diseases.” Gary said.

“I see…” Dipper said, and put his journal away. “Can they understand me?”

“They can feel you, they have no language.” Gary said.

Dipper held out his hand palm up and closed his eyes. He only imagined serene fields and pastures the pixie could dance about. When he slowly opened his lids, three of the pixies were dancing on his palm and giggling to each other.

“They like you…” Gary said. Dipper slowly opened the book and carried the pixies to look at his page. They ran over to the image he drew and giggled. Dipper took some ink and pooled it on the corner in front of them. he took his fingers and walked through the ink and left fingerprints across the page. The pixies understood and got their feet and hands covered in ink and proceeded to draw, color, and paint to their heart’s content.

“Fascinating…” Gary said.

“Why should I have the only say? It’s their story, let them tell it.” Dipper said with a smile.

The pixies images were almost too small to see unaided, but each one was a masterpiece. Some would team up and dance across the page, their tiny feet leaving a trail of their complicated movements. Others took up space and drew murals using the colored ink blobs Dipper provided. From their perspective, they were creating large sweeping paintings, and adding very minute details. Dipper would have to look over this with a microscope to get the full appreciation of the art.

Dipper watched for a few hours while they played and frollicked on the open pages, slowly each pixie got bored or distracted and flew off, looking for something else to occupy them, eventually leaving the page empty. Dipper let it sit in order to wait for the ink to dry.

“That was cool.” Dipper said. “I’ve never seen that side of things.”

“That’s because you never gave them a chance.” Gary said. Dipper nodded.

“Well, I think the ink is dry, lets head out.” Dipper said, carefully closing his book. he followed Gary through the woods and they talked about some of the creatures he knew of. Dipper wrote on a notepad key points as they walked. Through their trek to his brother’s territory, they were able to document a number of creatures, and Dipper provided space for each creature to draw, write, or provide any input as to what should be documented.

*           *           *

It took them over a week to make it to Barry the Mulit-bear’s territory. Dipper could feel the familiarity of the woods. Some landscapes he recognized in the distance, and he knew they were close. If he had to, he was sure he could make it home by himself, but he wanted to see Barry and visit.

Gary took them out of the woods and up the mountain path to the lair of Barry. Dipper was writing in his notepad when Gary stopped. His heads began to growl and roar.

“Dipper…” Gary said. “Dipper, there’s someone here… something evil.”

“Gary,” Dipper said, looking around him. “Where is it?”

“Dipper….” Gary said with an almost sickening gurgle. Dipper looked up in horror as Gary’s head slid down and rolled in front of him. The many bears on his body thrashed and roared as the massive bear fell forward. Dipper was able to roll away from the falling tower of bear as it landed with a graceless thud.

“Gary!” Dipper screamed and rushed over to the body.

“Well, well, well…” said a familiar voice. ‘I’ve been looking for you for weeks.”

A burning fury filled Dipper as he looked to see who was standing with a smug look on his face. “Gideon!” 


	13. Gideon Rising

**_December 3, 2014_ **

“Why!?” Dipper screamed. “Why did you have to kill him!?”

“He’s just a dumb fur carpet.” Gideon said with a grin. “Why do you care!”

Dipper’s hands shook. His mind raced and things slowed down. He got a good look at Gideon. The baby fat was gone; he seemed to have shot up an inch or two. His hair was in a ponytail and not the puffy pompadour he used to have. He still wore his turquoise suit, and had a star with an eye bolo tie. Dipper’s eye fell to his wrist and he noted the green amulet that he destroyed in the other timeline. His body glowed an unearthly green, knives and machetes orbited around him; one of them was already covered in blood.

“He was my friend.” Dipper growled. Gideon waved his hand and sent a flurry of knives at him. Dipper rolled out of the way and grabbed his spear from his sled. He was able to parry most of the assault and only suffered a few minor cuts.

“Things have changed Dipper!” Gideon screamed. “I’m not the naive, sweet Lil’ Gideon you knew!”

Gideon floated higher and nearby rocks began zooming at him in addition to the knives. Dipper could barely move out of the way with the larger ones, and the smaller pebbles that connected felt like he was being hit with a paintball gun.

“I know what you’ve been doing!” Dipper screamed. “You were there the night Robbie died! You killed him!”

“I was trying to off that redhead you pine over!” Gideon screamed. “Haha! Pine… pined… Get it?” Gideon redoubled his attack on Dipper. He had to find some shelter, but the path didn’t have many outcropping rocks to hide behind. Dipper knew he had to close the gap and destroy that gem.

“How’d you find the gem? I thought some crazy raccoon stole it!”

“Why do you think I’ve been out in these god-forsaken woods since I’ve been released? Dad told me he knew where it was and that I should get my revenge. I’ve been watching you ever since I found it… Waiting to get you alone and do this up close and personal!”

Dipper pressed forward and broke through Gideon’s defenses. He connected the butt of his spear to Gideon's jaw, and sent him spinning back.  Gideon never hit the ground, but regained his control over the crystal.

“That hurt, you idiot!” Gideon complained.

“It was supposed to, you demented crybaby!” Dipper shouted with rage. Dipper picked up a rock and threw it at Gideon, it connected with his right eye.

“Ouch!” Gideon screamed. “Why you…”

Dipper smiled. Gideon couldn’t control incoming objects. He could throw his spear, but, that would mean he lost his only form of defense. Dipper ducked, dipped, dived and dodged as best he could. Gideon seemed to be consumed with the green fire from the stone. If he could get it away maybe he can talk some sense into the kid.

“Gideon!” Dipper screamed. He had an idea. As he ran ahead, he scooped up a handful of the rocks that had been cannon fodder for the demented kid. He’d have to thank Pacifica later. Tossing up a rock, he used his spear as a bat and shot the missile at Gideon.

“Hey! Watch it! I’m the one trying to kill you, not the other way around!” Gideon screamed. He dodged the volley of rocks, as Dipper kept swinging them at him. Each swing, he took a step forward. Gideon roared in anger and flew off up the mountain. Dipper was not going to let him go.

He followed the green trail and deftly scaled the side of the cliff. His ears perked at an unsettling crack. Looking up a huge boulder was rolling down the cliff face. Dipper’s mind quickly calculated its trajectory, and wedged himself into an outcrop as the boulder passed within inches of him.

“There’s more where that came from!” Gideon giggled and dislodged more of the mountainside around him. Dipper redoubled his efforts to get off the cliff face and meet up with his attacker. When he found a ledge that gave him space to move, he saw Gideon levitating a huge boulder over his head and giggling. He raised his arms over his head with palms touching then snapped them apart. The boulder split in half, each one hovering over one hand. Gideon launched the first one at Dipper.

Dipper slid under the boulder, hoping Gideon couldn’t change the direction once the velocity had been set. He stood up defiantly and approached Gideon.

“WHY WON’T YOU DIE!?” Gideon shrieked and launched the other boulder.

“Because, I can’t let you win.” Dipper said as he stepped to the side as the huge granite missile crashed by, missing him by mere inches. “You hurt people I love.”

“I should have killed you and your sister in the meadow!” Gideon raged and reached his hands out. “All sleeping peaceful. Having fun while I lived in the damned woods! Daddy wouldn't let me back home until I found my gem and killed you!” ” 

Dipper felt something behind him. He hit the floor and saw a shadow pass over him.

“Damn you!” Gideon screamed. “No NO NO NO NO ARG!”

Dipper looked up and saw one of the boulders he had dodged earlier was flying directly at him. Gideon screamed in pain as his left arm was trapped under the rock. He tried to lift it with the gem, but the pain was too much for him to focus through.

Dipper slowly walked over to Gideon and stood over his howling nemesis.

“Dipper! Get this off me!” He sobbed. “It hurts so bad!”

Dipper knelt down over Gideon and stared at him. His face was twisted in pain as he sobbed uncontrollably. He stood up and stepped on the boy’s free hand, pinning it to the ground.

“So, this is how you’re going to play it? I’m trapped and helpless so you’re going to kill me?”

Dipper knelt down and calmly unfastened the gem. He put it on his own wrist and clenched his fist. He could feel the power flowing through him.

“Yes! Good idea, buddy! Move the rock, and… and I’ll turn myself in. I was bad… real bad. Please!” 

Dipper coldly studied Gideon. A thousand scenarios played in his head. His Uncle’s words about making the hard choice echoed over and over.

 _Gideon’s father told him to attack us._ Dipper thought. Rick’s circle flashed in his mind and he saw the hat Mr. Gleeful wears matched. Rick had gotten to him and ordered his son, a member of Bill’s circle to attack one of its own. Rick knew it would weaken them no matter what. Gideon would never join their side and even if he did no one would trust him. He’d already killed at least one person without mercy.

 _You’ve got to make the hard choice_ echoed in his mind. Dipper held his spear over Gideon and dragged the bone tip across his cheek, letting blood flow down his face as he cried.

“You could have been so much more…” Dipper said softly. “We could have been friends. I would have given you a chance… that’s what she would have done.”

“Please…Dipper!” Gideon begged through the uncontrollable sobbing. “I’m sorry! I’M SORRY!” Dipper knelt down and removed the bolo with Gideon’s mark. He slowly put it in his pocket, feeling the strings being severed as he did it.

“If I thought you were, I’d carry you home myself.” Dipper said. He jabbed his spear into Gideon’s shoulder and twisted the tip. Gideon screamed and thrashed about. “I should jab this into your heart, but that would be wasteful. I don’t plan on using any part of you.”

Dipper made a thrust into Gideon’s knee.

“Just KILL ME THEN!” Gideon screamed. Dipper pulled out his knife and set it a foot away from Gideon.

“I’ll give you a chance.” Dipper said coldly. “More than you’ve ever given anybody.”

Gideon looked over at the knife with a look of confusion before the dawning realization of what Dipper meant became obvious.

“Yes, you understand now. It should only take you an hour to cut yourself free.” Dipper said with a grin. “You’re bleeding pretty good, but no major arteries were hit, you’ll live… if the wolves don’t catch the scent.”

“DIPPER!” Gideon screamed. “DIPPER IF I GET OUT OF THIS, I’LL MAKE YOU REGRET EVERYTHING!”

“I already do.” Dipper said, and thrust his spear into Gideon’s other knee.

Dipper walked away from his screaming opponent. The sobbing pleas and bargaining fell on deaf ears. Invoking the bracelet, he levitated himself down to the corpse of his friend Gary. He gathered the body and things with the aid of the gem then levitated it to the cave entrance of Barry the Multi Bear.

*           *           *

“Barry!” Dipper shouted at the cave entrance. He heard rumbling as Barry came to greet him.

“Dipper! It’s so good to see you!” Barry said. His face fell as he saw the body behind him. “Have you come to take my head as well? I… I thought we were friends.”

“No, Barry.” Dipper said. He was numb all over. “Someone else did this. I’ve come to bring you Gary’s body… I don’t know how you mourn your dead, but we have funerals to honor their memory.”

“I understand... and the one who did this?” Barry asked.

“He’s a mile back and trapped under a rock. He’s still alive; I wanted to give you a chance for revenge. He’s not going anywhere, and I opened him up pretty good. Wolves should have his scent soon.”

Barry looked shocked at Dipper’s response.

“Dipper, come inside and tell me all that’s happened. You’ve changed so much from the compassionate BABBA lover I know.”  

Dipper set his things down and trudged inside. He told Barry everything that happened. All of Barry’s heads wept. Dipper felt cold, detached, and empty. His finger kept tracing over the bracelet he took off Gideon.

“I thank you for honoring my brother and giving me the honor of retribution. Sadly, that’s not the Multi-bear way. I will not lie, though, your savagery left me ill. It pains me to see my friend turning to such acts.”

“I had to make the hard choice.” Dipper said. “If I let him go, he’s only going to come back after me. Even so I showed mercy, I gave him a chance to live.”

“No…” Multi-Bear said. “You lie to yourself. The boy may live, but that was not mercy. That was heartless cruelty. Killing him would have been more merciful. You set up a terrible fate for him.”

“BUT HE KILLED YOUR BROTHER!” Dipper screamed. “HE DESERVED IT!”

“Yes,” Barry said somberly. “He did kill him, but from what you described, it was quick. He did not gleefully torment him and leave him to die.”

Dipper’s face burned. His hands were shaking with rage.

“Dipper… are you ok? I smell… something in the air… coming from your wounds.”

Dipper’s chest felt like it was in a vice. His vision blurred and he couldn’t sit up straight.

“Dipper?” Barry asked. He came forward and sniffed all over his body. “Dipper! Your wounds have poison in them. Dipper!”

He could barely feel his body, his mind was swimming. He was falling and couldn’t see. Dipper realized the knives were poisoned. Gideon may have the last laugh yet.

*           *           *

Dipper swam to the surface of his consciousness and welcomed the cool sensation on his forehead.

“Guys… I think he’s waking up!” He heard Wendy say through a tunnel.

“Oh! I’ll go get Stan!” Pacifica said. Dipper tried to sit up and was pushed back down.

“Woah there.” Wendy said. “You need to stay put.”

Dipper opened his eye, He was in his bed, the lights were dim and the curtains closed.

“I need…” Dipper mouthed. Wendy gave him some water. He sputtered at how cold it was. He’s done nothing but drink lukewarm water for the last month or so, the sensation was a shock to him.

“Shhh. Calm down and breath.” Wendy said. She scooted her chair next to him and rubbed his head.

“Where… am I?” Dipper choked. His body protested much movement.

“You’re back home… you’ve been gone almost two months. We looked everywhere for you.” Wendy said softly. “I never gave up that you’d come back to us.”

“Stan…” Dipper whispered.

“We know, after the two weeks went by, he broke down and told us everything. We tried to find you. Then, the other day, some crazy looking bear shows up carrying you, covered in cuts, half dead and burning with a fever.  He spoke to Stan and Stanford who immediately worked on you. I still don’t know all the details, but you can tell me when you’re feeling better.”

“My… things.” Dipper mumbled.

“Safe… the bear… was his name Barry?” Wendy asked. Dipper nodded and she chuckled. “Figures… Barry brought them.” 

Stan, Mabel, Pacifica, Billeah and Stanford all tumbled into the room at once. Everyone shouted a million questions. The girls tried to jump on him to hug him, but Wendy was able to hold them back.

“QUIET!” Stan screamed. He walked over to Dipper and shone a light in his eye. He felt his head and checked the wounds and nodded. “He’s out of the woods… literally and figuratively. Whatever poison was on Gideon’s knives is still working its way through, but his fever is broken.”

Stan moved back and stood next to his brother.

“Oww!” Stan screamed. Everyone looked back and saw him on the floor holding his jaw.

“I TOLD YOU IT WAS TOO MUCH FOR HIM!” Stanford roared. “WE ALMOST LOST HIM!”

“He made it back didn’t he?” Stan said, standing up. “What do you think I went through? Huh? No supplies, no way back? Stuck on the other side and having to make my way?”

“I failed.” Dipper whispered.

“No you didn’t, kid.” Stanford said, kneeling next to him. “You did well. You made it back.”

“Gideon…” he whispered. “I couldn’t... I couldn’t… I couldn’t make the hard choice. I took the easy way… left him to die.” 

“Well, the bastard’s more resilient that you’d think.” Stan said. “He’s still out there. We checked where Barry said he was, and only found his hand. I assume you left the knife.”

“Another failure…” Dipper moaned. “Compassion when I needed to be ruthless… I couldn’t make the hard choice and protect everyone.”

“You severed his string.” Billeah whispered. “He’s not part of our circle, the gap is bigger and Rick is more powerful. It was all part of his plan.”

“Gideon’s father… is the hat.” Dipper whispered and fell back to sleep.

*           *           *

Dipper sat up in bed, going over the pile of homework he’d missed. His teachers were very understanding of the situation and allowed him to make up all his assignments and keep up with his scholastic goals.

The girls sat with him in shifts. No one wanted him to be left alone, and he welcomed their company. He couldn’t sleep comfortably laying down and often woke up sitting up against the wall in the corner.

He barely saw Stan or his Grandfather. He assumed they felt guilty over what happened and were avoiding him, that or they were looking for Gideon. He wanted to go to the journals, but no one let him leave his room.

“So… what else since you were gone…” Mabel said. She’d been talking nonstop all day, trying to get him caught up with everything that’s happened. “Wendy and Pacifica have agreed to a polyamorous relationship with you… so there is no more fighting.”

“What?” Dipper said, his pen raked across the page he was writing on in surprise. Mabel was grinning ear to ear.

“Just checking to see if you’re listening.” Mabel said. There was a knock on the door and Mabel stood up, kissed his forehead then bounded over to open it. Billeah stood there with a tray of food.

“Lunch.” She said and walked in. Billeah set the tray across his lap and put a napkin down his shirt. it was a steak and mashed potatoes with carrots and peas.

“You keep feeding me this stuff and I’m going to get pudgy and soft.”

“You lost a lot of weight out there; you need to get back to normal… You’re too skinny.” Billeah said. “It’s not cute.”

“Ok… can I have the silverware?” Dipper asked, Billeah shook her head no and made a small bite sized cut of his steak. She moved it into Dipper’s mouth. He ate the steak slowly.

“Pacifica has all but moved in.” Billeah said and fed him another bite. “Mr. Northwest has had some disagreements with her, and so she’s taken up residence here.”

“Did she say why?” Dipper asked after finishing a mouthful of potatoes and carrots. Billeah shook her head no. “Another of the circle has joined us… do we tell her?”

Billeah shrugged and gave him another piece of steak. 

“I must be starving, because this is some really good steak.” Dipper said with another bite.

“Kobe beef…” She said.

“Pacifica?” Dipper asked, Billeah nodded and gave him another bite.

“Even though she’s not living at Northwest Manor, her father has not cut her off.”  Billeah said.

“I doubt they would. Her parents may be rich and snooty, but they do genuinely love her. They probably think if she’s going to be anywhere, here would be the best place.”

There was a huge commotion downstairs and people arguing. Dipper heard something break and Mabel burst into the door panting.

“DIPPER RUN! RUN!” she screamed.

Dipper got out of bed, readying to defend his sister when Officer Blubs and Deputy Durland came through the door. Mabel kicked and screamed as Durland held her back.

“Dipper Pines… I have a warrant for your arrest. You’re being charged for the attempted murder of Gideon Gleeful”

Dipper’s mind was numb as Blubs spun Dipper around and handcuffed him. Blubs led him downstairs. Wendy held her hands over her mouth as they passed by. Pacifica was screaming and threatening to sue everyone. Stan was holding her back as she flailed about franticly.

As he was being lead outside, there was a news van and the local reporter talking to a camera. She shoved her microphone into his face, asking questions, but he couldn’t hear any of them.

Dipper was seated in the back of the cruiser and he watched as his family gathered at the front steps. Mabel was hysterical, Pacifica was already on the phone and he couldn’t see Billeah. He wished he could say something but his throat was dry.

The only thing he could think was he made a mistake on the hill. He should have driven his spear right through Gideon’s black little heart. He was resolved to never make this mistake again.


	14. Consequences

**_January 15, 2015_ **

Pacifica’s lawyer seemed nice. He visited often leading up to the trial. Dipper explained all that happened, only changed the part as to why he was in the woods. Gideon had told the police he became emotionally unbalanced and did admit to the assault. Both parties agreed he had every right to defend himself, but the state he left Gideon was why the state was pressing charges against him.

“So… how does this work? What’s going to happen?” Dipper asked the lawyer during their meeting.

“Simple, we use the same excuse. You obviously were not in your right state of mind when you maimed him and left him for dead. He already has a criminal record and has been shown to have violent outbursts. I am confident, if we take this to trial, we should be able to win.”

“Did they give us a plea?” Dipper asked. His lawyer nodded.

“Five years for criminal negligence, endangerment, and assault. You obviously didn’t have intent to kill him or you would have. With the situation and Gideon’s past, they didn’t want to push for a larger sentence.

“I’d be 19…” Dipper said. “And a felon.”  

The lawyer didn’t say a word, just nodded.

“If we argue the case what will we be doing?” Dipper asked.

“I don’t want to sugar coat this,” The lawyer said. “You’re not going to get off scott-free. They expect us to try a not guilty verdict. I want to whittle down the charges to reckless endangerment. It’s a misdemeanor and will only be on your juvenile record. You can’t get into those when you’re an adult. I want to try and argue time served and probation. House arrest if needed.”

“Why didn’t they press charges against Gideon for the poison on his knifes?” Dipper asked.

“No knives were recovered. He denies it, and we had no evidence. I’ve already put in charges against him for your attempted murder. With the media coverage of this case, I have doubts it will even go to trial.”

Dipper sighed and nodded. He was presented with a stack of papers to sign. After dealing with Bill, he made sure to read each line and ask as many questions as he could. The lawyer was patent and took the time to make sure Dipper knew everything that was going to happen.

*           *           *

“... and I couldn’t believe I scored a C in that report. That’s what I get for trying to do an assignment myself and not have one of Daddy’s staff go fact checking…”

Dipper stared off into space, his mind wandering while Pacifica sat across from him with glass between them. Was this how his Grandfather felt?

“... and the new fall line arrived. Dipper, I picked out this cute outfit I know you’ll love…”

He appreciated their visits. He knew he needed to be strong and stoic for them. He still couldn’t get over what happened with the trial.

“... Mabel dared Grenda to wrestle Waddles. I got the whole thing on Youtube, it’s already at ten thousand views!”

Pacifica was ecstatic that the judge overseeing his case was one of Mr. Northwest’s golf buddies. She was confident things would turn out perfectly fine.

“... Are they feeding you ok? I’ll make sure to add some special treats in the next care package we send you…”

Dipper’s eyes teared up. He loved them all; they were so supportive and visited all the time. For a moment, he thought they would abandon him, slowly stop visiting and leave him here.

He had spent two months in jail before the trial. The court date kept getting pushed back over and over. Jury selection took a month, as lawyers argued over who to pick. Some members became contaminated due to the media frenzy and they had to re-start the whole process over.

When it finally went to trial, Gideon’s testimony was spot on. He gleefully told everyone he tried to kill Dipper and get his revenge. He admitted going off his medication and finding himself in the woods and those voices lead him to where Dipper was. He described the attacks and recounted their entire fight, including the gem...

He sounded crazy, and that’s how they approached their attack. Dipper’s self-defense from the attack was justified but he maimed and left for dead a sick boy who didn’t know what he was doing.

Dipper’s looks didn’t help the case. All the scars and burns, along with his eye-patch made him look like a grizzled and uncaring person who would kick a puppy as soon as help you.

His lawyer did an excellent job refuting the charges. Pacifica did a great job picking him. He showed the jury his many public services in Gravity Falls. Even President Trembly was called as a character witness and admitted he would give him a pardon if he was still in office.

Dipper’s lawyer’s plan was executed flawlessly. The jury came back and only found him guilty of reckless endangerment, since he did provide a means of escape, although the intent was filled with malice. The jury even asked for leniency in the sentencing.

The judge had something else in mind.

He was sentenced to six months with time served with no probation. The judge made it sound like he was doing Dipper a favor…. ‘Four more months and we can put this all behind us.’ he said.

The pines family voiced their protest rather loudly Gideon smiled and winked at Dipper. He was held back as he lunged over and tried to throttle him. An officer dragged him out of the courtroom and back to his cell.

The next time he met with the lawyer, he was told the appeals process would probably take longer than the four months he left at the time. If he showed he was a model prisoner, he might be released early. Dipper asked to try anyway. What would it hurt?

“Dipper?“ Pacifica said. Dipper’s eye focused back at her. She looked worried. They all look worried.  “Dipper, we’re holding the fort till you get back. It won’t be much longer.”

He had two more months to go.

“Are you still in school? I don’t blame you if you left and went back…” Dipper asked, they put forth so much effort to keep him cheered up, he should do the same.

“Don’t think you’re getting out of that!” Pacifica said indignantly. “I checked the dates, and you’ll be able to take me to at least 2 dances when you’re released.”

“You sure you want to go with a criminal?” Dipper said with a grin.

“Honey, the fact that you’re behind bars only adds to your mystique. I’m more popular than the local trollops now that my boyf...er… companion is in jail.” Pacifica grinned as she corrected herself.

Dipper smiled. he was glad she’s having fun and was sure Mabel and the others are treating her well.

“You still staying with us?” Dipper asked.

“That was only for a few weeks till you got better… and a few after because I missed you. I’m sorry, I kinda took over your room and went through your things while I was there.”

“Find anything interesting?” Dipper said with a grin. Pacifica’s face turned bright red.

“No!” She said with a slight stammer. “But… It did warm my heart to find I have a scrapbook too.”

“I put that together a while ago, before the sleepover. I was going to show you at some point, but I wanted Mabel to help me add to it.” Dipper said.

“God… Wendy was right… you’ll take any chance you can get to make us cry.” Pacifica said, dabbing her eyes.

“You two getting along?” Dipper asked.

“Oh god… she won’t leave me alone. She’s all cool and chill, and then she’ll want to talk to me alone and start blubbering all over me.” Pacifica said dismissively.

“I’m sure you return the blubbering just as much.” Dipper said. Pacifica’s stone face cracked a smile.

“I may… not that I want to leave you with images of us embraced in your bed with your clothes between us, crying over you.” Pacifica said coyly. “Because that will _never_ happen.”

“That’s mean.” Dipper said.

“My time is about up. You need anything? I’m sure we can smuggle in some cigarettes for you.”

“Stop watching prison movies with Wendy.” Dipper chuckled. “We’re all under 18 here so no smokers. Just the normal things I guess. I do enjoy the letters.

Dipper put his hand against the glass. He spread his fingers and Pacifica nodded and put her’s against it.

“I’ll see you next week.” Pacifica said. She got up, blew him a kiss and left.

As Dipper got up, he licked his thumb and rubbed it against the inside pad of his ring finger, wiping away the number 12 drawn in ink.

*           *           *

Dipper read the letters when the care package arrived. He had just left from visiting Billeah. The other inmates hated that he got so many visitors and had expressed their distaste for him with soap inside socks. He knew he could retaliate, but he was afraid he may go too far and kill one of them. Even though he hated feigning defeat, the inmates were only kids and not Redhats or Multi-bears. If he lost control, he could do a lot of damage to them. He didn’t want to hurt them. A few bruised ribs were a small price to pay.

Early on he did attempt to distance himself from everyone and not make friends but even in Juvenile detention politics reigned supreme. The more he avoided everyone, the more he seemed to stand out. His scars and burns made him stand out like a sore thumb. It only took a few fights to prove he was not someone easily manipulated.

When one person can’t be won over to one side or another, that’s when the groups come. After the first “welcoming” he let it drop. Some of the leaders would rummage through his care box and take some of the candies or other food. One made the mistake of trying to steal a picture the girls sent of them at the pool together. Dipper dislocated his thumb. He made them aware how much he will tolerate and the message was clear; foodstuffs were welcome, but personal effects were off limits.

Dipper laid in bed and waited for Tiger to finish his rummaging. His real name was Jimmy, but people tended to try to make themselves sound more intimidating. He chuckled to himself, remembering “Dipper the Destructor”.

“Man, you got some weird crap.” Tiger said. He passed the various cookies and chips to a few of his friends who hovered around his cell. “Never seen someone get so many books.”

“I like to read.” Dipper said. Tiger turned over the box and dumped the leftover contents across the floor and giggled.

‘Well, read this…” he said and feinted jumping at Dipper. He didn’t react, and kept indifference about him. Tiger and his crew left, recounting the skewed events of how he was sobbing like a baby as they took his stuff.

Dipper got up and put his things back in the box. He added the few books to his small shelf, and put the ones he was done with inside the box. He’d have the guard store them with his personal affects and have Stan pick them up later.

Dipper opened the letters and added the photos that were included to his wall. Mabel took a snapshot of Wendy chopping wood. Pacifica was on her laptop at the Malt Shop with Billeah; they looked like they were doing some homework. Stan and Grandpa were doing some sort of act at the shack. Mabel took a bunch of selfies with funny faces.

Two more months he reminded himself.

He flipped over the letters he got. Each one would write him. He would read them over and over hearing their voices in his head. He saw one from Stan, there was a pyramid drawn in the right corner. Dipper opened that one first and got out his notebook. Looking at the image, he counted the number of bricks. It totaled up to 9. He pulled out his math book and turned to a back reference page that had pi to 100 places written out. He counted 9 places in. It was 3.

Dipper read the letter, it talked about how the shack was doing well, how they missed him and hope he gets out soon. Dipper re-read the letter, but opened his mind to every third word. The trick of the cypher he worked out with Stan was to filter the junk words as well. If the word didn’t make sense, it was junked and he would move on to the next.

Hat is in the wind, may have discovered microphone and glasses.

Gideon and his father must have left the country. He was always suspicious of how much media coverage came from his case. It was a national circus. There was no reason his trial should have gained such notoriety, unless Rick whispered to certain people.

Glasses was different. Had they found McGucket?

Dipper had gone over the events of the last few years over and over in his head. He had a few suspicions and he began his response to Stan. Pacifica already had the number of the cypher. 12. That would make the number 9. Dipper closed his eyes and thought about how to word it, since there was going to be so little space.

Star may be involved with Robbie’s return, along with Axe and Smiles

Dipper rubbed his eyes and finished the letter. He suspected one of the deputies could be on the circle. Their involvement with Robbie’s resurrection and lack of surprise seemed too weird. Also they were his arresting officers. Robbie’s parents seemed to be part of Rick’s plans. They were the biggest smilers he knew and it was rather convenient they found a way to bring their son back without his help. Dipper’s stomach twisted at the thought of Manly Dan being part of this, but based on the trending connections, it was probably a good guess.

Dipper felt crazy, he couldn’t trust anyone. Everyone was a suspect. What was worse is they were all good people. Even Gideon’s father was not what he would call evil. He was sure finding what he did to his son was hard for him and he retaliated like any father would.

The thought dawned on him about what Billeah once said. Rick’s whispers were so soft, people don’t notice them. What if they were good people, and don’t even think they are being influenced. That Rick is pulling strings so gently, that through everyone’s self-interest, they are following the plan?

Dipper mulled this over while he read the new meditation book that was sent to him. There were highlighted sections Stan wanted him to go over. Dipper took his incarceration as an opportunity to better himself and work on his mental faculties. His scholastic plans were not hindered, and he was able to keep up with the education he was given here. He focused on weight training and started a high carb diet to add some mass to his tiny frame. He was a quick study and the weight training was coming along nicely.

*           *           *

Dipper packed his things and looked at the cell one last time. He was surprised that they let him out a month early for good behavior. It was time for him to go. He walked out and said goodbye to the few people he made acquaintances with. He said what was expected, suggesting they should meet up on the outside knowing that it would never happen. It’s an empty promise you make to everyone who leaves. He was surprised when Tiger and his friends came up to him and shook his hand. He felt paper being slipped to him, and he closed his fist without any reaction.

“I’ll catch ya on the outside,” he said and headed out. Dipper shifted his box of effects and lost his grip. They tumbled to the floor, and everyone who was watching him leave erupted in laughter. Dipper hastily gathered them up and slipped the sheet from his hand in between the pages of one of his books.

Dipper continued the processing and was given two more boxes with books and effects he asked to be stored. No one said a word or offered him help. The whole process was emotionless and routine for everyone involved but him.

Stan met him at the door. They didn’t exchange words, but he grabbed two of the boxes and carried them out with him. Dipper groaned at the limo waiting outside the detention hall. His cellmates had perfect views of the front and would often talk about who was picking who up. He wondered what sort of rumors would be flying around when he got in the fancy vehicle.

After loading the trunk with his effects, Stan got in and Dipper followed and got a face full of confetti.

“SURPRISE!” everyone screamed. Inside the limo was decorated with streamers, balloons and a disco ball. Dipper was at a loss of words. Mabel put a crown on his head and gave him a soda.

“We didn’t know what to really do for you when you got out…” Mabel said. “It’s a three hour drive, so we figured we’re going to party till we get you home and have another party when you get there!

Dipper smiled and took a sip of his soda. He gave everyone a hug, including Candy and Grenda. Pacifica had him sit on the side seat while Mabel put on BABBA. Everyone sung to Disco Girl and ate junk food during the drive. Dipper smiled and laughed with everyone, but didn’t sing. There was an anxiety that was filling his chest the closer and closer he got home.

“Show me the tattoo!” Candy asked. “You’re a jail bird, you are supposed to have a tattoo!” 

Dipper laughed and sighed. “I don’t have a tattoo... They don’t let you get them while you're inside… we’re kids.”

Candy looked disappointed and he let out a big sigh.

“Alright… I got a tattoo…” Dipper admitted. It was Tiger who gave it to him. He said he needed to pay him back for all the snacks he was giving him, and refused to go away until he let him. This was after the broken thumb incident.

Dipper took off his shirt to a car full of hoots and whistles. He flexed his arms and chest unconsciously to stunned silence. Stanford on the other hand burst out laughing hysterically.

“Just couldn’t wait to take your shirt off could ya? I see you’ve been hitting the weights. Ah, reminds me of that one time in Cambodia…” Stanford said, Stan glared at him. “that I can’t seem to remember.”

“Oh… umm, it’s on my shoulder.” he said and turned to show them. It was a triangle, a circle inside that and an oval. If one knew what they were looking at, it would appear to be an eye. Dipper looked at Billeah and grinned. She covered her mouth and turned bright red.

“Wow… can I touch it?” Candy asked. Dipper nodded and she rubbed the raised skin.

“Looks like it got infected.” Stan said with a grunt. “They let you keep it?”

“Yeah, the nurse told me they deal with these all the time. It would have been a problem for me if I got it removed. It was given to me as payment for services.” Dipper said. Stanford nodded in agreement.

“Yeah, not the best thing to do.” Stanford explained. “It’s like a slap in the face to turn away a gift… even if it’s a tattoo.”

Dipper answered all the questions he was given. Everyone was getting tired after a while and silence filled the limo. Dipper was nodding off when Wendy moved next to him and made him scoot over one seat. Pacifica gave her an indignant look when she put her finger to her lips.

“Dipper, you look tired, lay down.” She said and laid him across her lap with his head on Pacifica’s. Pacifica grabbed one of the pillows and put it under his head and shushed him when he protested. Dipper could barely keep his eyes opened as Pacifica ran her fingers through his long and uncut hair. He never bothered to get it trimmed, and it was now past his shoulders.

Wendy rubbed his hands and forearms, tracing the burns and scars he’d gotten.

“This one is new.” Wendy commented to a long scar that went from the back of his hand to mid forearm.

“A new kid was trying to take your pictures.” Dipper said softly, reveling in the touch of Pacifica’s soft fingers. “I had a disagreement about that. We came to terms.”

“And this one?” Pacifica asked, trailing across his eyebrow.

“There was a fight in the shower… someone hit me with soap.” Dipper said softly.

The mood became somber at Dipper’s explanations. Dipper was slowly drifting to sleep. He felt both of his hands being taken and fingers interlocking. He didn’t have to open his eyes to know whose was whose.

There was a slight moment of panic as he slowly let his guard down. He felt the reassuring squeezes of Wendy and Pacifica’s hands, he was able to subdue the panic and fall asleep. 


	15. Reacclimatization

**_May 4, 2015_ **

Dipper couldn’t sleep. His bed was too soft. A few months sleeping on the ground and a year sleeping on three inches of mattress made his bed feel like he was drowning. Dipper trudged downstairs and started some coffee brewing. It seemed like all he could do was wander around the house, checking on everyone and everything.

This was something his grandfather knew about, and had a talk with him after his welcome home party. Having done time in a few places, he told Dipper what to expect and some tricks he did to get a sense of normalcy. His grandfather told him he and his brother had many fist fights over what happened to him, and would take all the blame for this. If they didn’t try to give him the woods trial, none of this would have happened.

Dipper protested, pointing out he made his choice. He could have saved Gideon, brought him back to civilization and turned him in or he could have made sure he never made it back. It was rationalization and he had convinced himself to cope with what had happened.

After Dipper’s third walkthrough of the house, he poured his coffee and sat down at the kitchen island. He wanted to go into the library and read, but Stan had locked the door. He said Dipper needed to ground himself and take a break from all that till he had a sense of normalcy. Dipper could understand the reason, but he still wanted to check on the journal pages.

A massive hand settled on Dipper’s shoulder, startling him. Without thinking he had his attacker on the ground and in an arm lock, ready to break it.

“Holy crap kid!” Stan said.

“Sorry!” Dipper said, letting go of Stan. “You startled me…”

“I know you’re jumpy, but I thought I was loud enough for you to hear me.” Stan said, rubbing his shoulder.

“I was thinking.” Dipper said sipping his coffee.

“I’m not trying to sound uncaring, but it looks like you picked up a few things. That’s good.” Stan said and sat down. Stan set Dipper’s journal in front of him. Dipper gave Stan a quizzical look.

“Interesting reading material.” Stan said.

“You’re going to say I did it wrong, and I should have mercilessly slaughtered everything on my way back?” Dipper said dryly. He knew this was going to be a conversation they had soon.

“Yes.” Stan said bluntly. “At first…”

Dipper looked up at him. Stan gave him a warm smile.

“When I read what you went through, well, we all read it.” Stan said sheepishly. “Anyway, the girls were ready to string me up. I admit, it was a horrible idea, and if I could take it back I would. I still stand by that you learned a lot going through all of it, and it may be a terrible sacrifice, but it will help you in the future.”

Dipper silently nodded.

“So, we read your journal and saw what Gary showed you. I think you’re right, I think I may have missed something when I was making mine. You see, I started young, like you. But the more scary things got the more paranoid I became. Eventually I lost sight of the wonderment you saw, and captured on your pages.” Stan said.

“So… you mentioned a while ago you may have a lead on McGucket?”

Stan shook his head no.

“We’re not going to talk about all this crazy till you’re head’s on straight and not dislocating my arm.” Stan said and messed up Dipper’s hair.

Stan and Dipper turned simultaneously at the tiny shuffling coming from the stairs.

“Need to put a bell on her…” Stan grumbled. Billeah peeked down from between the stair railing and beckoned to Dipper. “Better go… You need your sleep. And stop pacing the house… that’s my job.”

Dipper gave his Uncle a hug and walked up the stairs to meet Billeah. She grabbed his hand, led him to his bedroom, tucked him in and laid next to him, falling sound asleep in moments. Dipper held her close and followed suit. He missed everyone so much; he didn’t want to let anyone go.

*           *           *

_Don’t think this is over… I’m still here and watching. You can’t hide from me. I will take it all back!_

*           *           *

It was late afternoon, Dipper rummaged through the box he brought back from the detention center. He was puzzled by a note sticking out of his meditation book. Opening it up was a hastily scribbled phone number and the letters I.O.U. Dipper grabbed a framed photo of everyone, opened the back and slid it in. That’s one favor he’d keep under his hat.

“DIIPPERRR! WENDY’S HERE!” Mabel hollered from downstairs. Dipper sat up and looked around the room. On his bedpost was his signature hat. He hadn’t worn it since the woods. His hair was still a mess, and he promised not to get it cut without Pacifica. Grabbing the hat, he put it back on his head. It still felt right.

Checking the rest of his outfit, he nodded in approval. Thin button sweater and shorts. His old blue puffy vest didn’t fit anymore. He noticed a lot of his clothes didn’t. If he even mentioned this in Pacifica’s vicinity, they’d be at some store in a heartbeat.

Dipper trotted downstairs and was immediately hugged by Wendy.

“Come on, let’s go!” Wendy said tugging on him. Dipper looked at Mabel who shrugged and grinned ear to ear. Dipper was pulled out of the house. Wendy stopped as Stan was coming up the stairs to the porch, his massive frame blocking them.

“Wendy…” Stan greeted with a disapproving tone as he looked at their interlocked hand.

“Stan...” Wendy replied with a grin. Dipper didn’t know what was happening, but Wendy had his hand in a death grip. Stan moved to the porch, and stepped aside to let Wendy pass. She burst forward like a horse out of the gate, pulling Dipper along. Dipper looked back and saw Stan staring at them with his arms crossed.

Wendy ran to her truck and opened the door.

“Get in!” She giggled. Dipper didn’t understand, but did as she asked. She hit the gas and kicked up gravel, speeding out of their driveway and onto the main road.

Wendy had the windows rolled down and air was blowing in from both doors. The radio was blasting and Wendy had an ear to ear grin. Dipper stopped himself from asking what was going on and figured he’d find out soon enough.

Dipper put his hand out and felt the wind blowing against it. They’ve been driving for some time, and seemed to be out of Gravity Falls. Every time he looked over at Wendy, she’d lock eyes with him and get a bigger smile on her face. 

She turned down a dirt road that looked like it hadn’t been serviced in years. Dipper thanked his stars he wore his seatbelt, as he almost smashed his head against the cab. As the bumps leveled out, the trees that lined the road cleared and they came to an open grassy area where the road made a circle and merged back into itself.

“Yes, no one’s here!” Wendy said

“Okay… Usually it’s Pacifica who spirits me away without telling me what we're doing.” Dipper said. Wendy was acting really weird.

“Come on!” Wendy said and got out of the truck. She rummaged in the bed and pulled out a cooler and a blanket. She ran to the grassy area and spread it out.

Dipper took in the sight. It was beautiful. Wendy took them to a small open area that overlooked the town and the lake. He could see the waterfalls the city was named after in the distance. The sun’s descent would fall right behind them. He could only imagine how beautiful it would be once the red and yellows set the water on fire.

Dipper joined Wendy on the blanket.

“I wish I had both eyes to see this view…” Dipper said with a smile. “How’d you find this place?”

“Dad told me a few days ago… said I should take you up here sometime.” She said with a sheepish grin. “He was worried about you, and asked me how you were doing a lot. I think he likes you.”

“Well, I like him too.” Dipper said with a chuckle. Wendy opened the cooler and pulled out a bottle of champagne, some sandwiches, and a bag of chips. Dipper looked at Wendy and raised his eyebrow.

“What?” she said. “We’re celebrating!”

“Didn’t we have a party in the limo, a party as soon as we got home, and a surprise breakfast party?” Dipper asked. His stomach protested the memory.

“This is different.” she said softly and poured him a glass.

“Different how?” Dipper said, taking the drink. Wendy’s face was almost as red as her hair.

“Are you being stupid?” she said, leaning her head forward so her hair would fall in front of her face.

Dipper was as confused as ever. He looked over at the falls and pointed.

“Sun’s setting,” he said. Wendy scooted next to him and clinked his glass. She took a drink with him and smiled. He put his arm around her and watched the falls glow with the day’s ending light. He turned to look at Wendy, only to find she’d been watching him the whole time.

Before he said another word, she pulled him to her and kissed him. Dipper dropped the glass and laid back, Wendy following along with him.

*           *           *

“Fireflies…” Dipper said. He watched a few glowing figments flitting between the trees.

“Not too many around here… it gets too cold. Dad says south is where you find most of them.” Wendy said. She was lying on his chest and holding his hand.

“It’s getting late.” Dipper said softly, running his fingers through her hair. Wendy shook her head no.

“I’m not giving you back.” Wendy said. 

“Can I ask?” Dipper asked. Wendy shook her head no.

“It’s what you wanted…” Wendy whispered. “Right?”

“It’s what I’ve always wanted…” Dipper said. “I’m just worried it’s what you want.”

“I’m here aren’t I?” Wendy said.

“But… I don’t know. Are you here because I’ve been gone for five months and you think I need a win? Are you here because a little voice in your head said to be? I have a thousand things running through my mind, and… I want to savor this moment and be happy.” Dipper said. Wendy looked up at him and kissed him.

“I’m here because I want to and I realize I should be.” Wendy said with a grin.

“You’re going to be 18 soon… I just got out of juvie, I don’t want you going to jail.” Dipper said.

“Welp, you don’t have to worry about that… and how far do you think we’re going here?” Wendy said coyly. “Keep it in your pants.”

“I wasn’t…” Dipper said. “Never mind.”

Wendy crawled over to the cooler and rummaged around. She handed him a manila envelope. Dipper opened it up and read the printout.

“There’s a Romeo and Juliet law in Oregon. We’re almost three years apart, so it applies to us. Even if I turn 18, as long as we’re in a relationship, we can’t get in trouble.” Wendy said with a grin.

“Yeah… it looks like it.” Dipper said. He looked at the letterhead of the paper and saw it was from the practice Pacifica hired his lawyer from. “You… went my lawyer?”

“Well… that’s the thing. I didn’t even think about that.” Wendy said shyly. She began to fidget with her fingers.

“Then… why did he give this to you?” Dipper asked.

“He… didn’t?” Wendy said nervously, “Look… don’t get... weird on me, okay? This whole thing is already weird enough and I’m too happy to think about it. Just, let’s drop it.”

Wendy crawled back on the blanket and tried to pull away the paper; Dipper scooted back, and glared at her.

“Who gave this to you?” Dipper demanded sternly. Wendy huffed and sat down.

“It was Pacifica, okay? A month before you got out. I had a brief thought she was lying to get me in trouble, and I feel really bad about it, but it checks out.” Wendy said. “She was really weird about it too. She had me meet her in the middle of the night under a lamp post. She rolled up in her limo wearing a silly scarf and oversized glasses like she was in some spy movie. She gave me the envelope and said something about evening the playing field. She’s not mentioned a word about it ever since and plays dumb anytime I bring it up to her.”

Dipper’s hands were numb. Was this a play from Rick? Was he trying to disrupt his life again? All he wanted was some peace since he got back.

“I need to talk to her.” Dipper said, staring at the paper. He looked up and saw Wendy’s face, she looked crushed.

“Dip? Why? You got me now… I’m yours. I’ll walk down the street proclaiming myself as Dipper’s girlfriend.” Wendy said, she looked almost in tears. “This was supposed to be happy, dammit! I planned this for a week.” 

Dipper shook his head.

“No… no don’t cry.” He said with a smile and pulled her to him. “You have a good idea what’s going on… all this just seems… I don’t know. I’m really off balance and I’m really inside my head. Please work with me?”

“Of course.” Wendy said. “You don’t have to tell everyone I’m your girlfriend till you’re ready.”

“Who’s moving fast now?” Dipper asked coyly. Wendy punched his leg.

*           *           *

Dipper dragged his feet up the stairs and listened to the breaking gravel as Wendy headed home. Stan and his grandfather were both on the porch… glaring at him. Wordlessly he handed Stan the document Wendy gave him and trudged inside. Coffee was already made. He thanked the coffee elves for the minor miracle and poured himself a cup.

He sat down at the kitchen island and looked at the clock on the wall. It was 1:30.

His head still was swimming. They finished the bottle of champagne and waited till Wendy was okay to drive. He had no objection to the activities that were moved from the cold ground to the chilly truck bed to keep them warm and sober themselves up. They held hands the entire drive home, and didn’t say a word. He didn’t want it to end, and the heavy pressure of reality set in with each step closer to the disapproving stares of his guardians.

“So how stupid were you tonight?” Stan said. “Your breath reeks.”

“We just had a few glasses of champagne… and that was when we first got to the picnic spot. Two glasses of champagne will be an appropriate driving level after two hours… we were there for… five?” Dipper said. He couldn’t believe it, had it been that long?

“Ok, underage drinking… that’s one level of stupid… anything else? Do I have to worry about some insane axe wielding father looking to perform a shotgun wedding?” Stan asked, slamming his hand on the table. “I told you this was a can of worms we don’t need to be dealing with!”

“Stan…” Stanford said, putting his arm on his brother.

“I don’t care what that paper says. I don’t like this.” Stan said.

“Why?” Dipper shouted. “Why not? Why can’t I be happy? Live a normal life for once? Wendy likes me! After years of heartache, she finally sees who I am and she wants me!”

“Is that so?” Stan said. His craggy face leaned forward. “You sure she wants you or is it because of her?”

Dipper looked where Stan thrust his hand. Billeah was peeking down through the stairs and quickly ran back up. Dipper’s face dropped.

“Yeah… didn’t think about that did you? Your little addendum to restoring the universe you destroyed. You don’t think Rick wouldn’t use this to his advantage?” Stan shouted.

“Why does it matter?” Dipper said. “Why does any of this matter? So what if Rick wants to rule this universe. Everyone’s lives are almost the same, people wake up, go to work, go to bed every day. No one but you and me can tell. Why are we working so hard? What’s it really for?”

Stan looked like he was ready to break Dipper in half. His grandfather pushed him back.

“Go to bed Dipper, we’ll talk about this later.” Stanford said. 

Dipper stormed upstairs and slammed the door to his room. He flopped on his bed and screamed into his pillow.

He heard a buzzing on his phone and checked it.

Pacifica texted him.

_Meet me at the malt shop tomorrow after school._

Could his evening get any worse?

*           *           *

Dipper ate his cereal and gathered his bags. His first day back to school, and he was dreading it. He made sure to keep ahead of his studies while he was away. He even thought about excuses, but he knew everyone knows what happened. He didn’t want to think what the rumor mill was saying.

“So Brobro, you were gone for a LONG time… are you a man now?” Mabel said with a grin and poked him.

“That’s not funny… and I’ve always been a man.” Dipper said defiantly.

“Phhst… that’s a big fat _NO_ then.” Mabel said and shoveled more cereal into her mouth. Billeah was texting with a grin. His phone buzzed. There was a picture of a boat half sunk and a dingy pulling it to port. The caption said

_Wendy ship has been salvaged, but can it survive another stormy sea?_

The message was posted to their group chat and everyone was commenting on it.

“I thought you were just supposed to watch things… not start them!” Dipper snapped.

“Hey!” Stan yelled and slapped him upside the head. “Eat and get to school. You break your curfew and I’ll break _you…_ got it?”

Dipper’s glared at Stan and took a bite out of his toast.

There was a honk outside. Pacifica had shown up to give them a ride, like she had all through the school year. The kids were impressed at first, but the normality of the Pines arriving in a limo every day set in. Dipper looked out the door and walked right back inside.

“You skipping your first day back?” Stan said as Dipper stormed through the kitchen.

‘No, I’m going to walk…” He said and slammed the back door.

Dipper cut through the woods on his way to school. He broke into a quick jog. He needed air. Things were spinning out of control. Everywhere he looked, he saw Rick’s whispering influence. How could he be sure of anything? Did Rick give the idea to Pacifica? Did Wendy only like him because of his stupid addendum to the deal he made with Bill? Is this whole place even real, or just a hologram?

Dipper fell to his knees out of breath. He couldn’t breathe. He tore into his backpack and dumped out a bag lunch he made and breathed into the bag. He looked around in a panic, was there going to be some monster to jump out at him? Carved squares? The shadow mass? He was open and vulnerable. Dipper scampered to a nearby log and wedged himself inside. He closed his eyes and tried to forget everything but it was falling on him like raining bricks. He felt like he was drowning, he couldn’t get enough air.

“Dipper!” Someone shouted and shook him. He opened his eyes to his grandfather. “Dipper, calm down… breath slowly.”

Dipper nodded and grabbed hold of Stanford. He couldn’t stop shaking. His grandfather’s massive arms wrapped around him. The pain in his chest lightened as his grandfather rocked him back and forth.

“You’re giving me an ulcer kid… I could barely keep up with your jog.” Stanford said.

“Something’s coming... something’s wrong…” Dipper said as he sobbed and clawed at his grandfather.

“Oh… I knew we pushed you too hard. Dammit, Stan.” Stanford said.

“How can I tell if Rick’s talking to them? How?” Dipper mumbled. “I can’t trust anyone…”

Stan gathered Dipper’s backpack with one hand, never letting go of Dipper, and slung it over his shoulder. He hefted his grandson his arms and hiked back to the house.  


	16. Negotiations

**_May 7, 2015_ **

Dipper’s head was under the covers. He watched everyone chatting to each other on his phone, talking about school and laughing. He occasionally sent in a smiley face, but didn’t talk. He heard the commotion of everyone coming home from school, but ignored them. His door was locked and he stayed under his makeshift cover fort, ignoring the occasional knock from Mabel or Billeah.

Pacifica sent him a text.

_You didn’t show… :-( - Pacifica_

_I can’t leave the house… - Dipper_

_I was worried when you didn’t get in the car… are you mad at me? - Pacifica_

_No… - Dipper_

_You know I hate that… talk to me. - Pacifica._

_No… - Dipper_

_Fine, I’m coming over. - Pacifica_

_Please don’t… - Dipper_

There was a soft knock at the door. Dipper sat up and looked down at the phone.

_Please let me in…_

“Umm… come in?” He said, confused. He quickly unlocked it and retreated back to his blanket and covered himself except for his face

The door opened and Pacifica walked in. She had her wall up, Dipper could tell. She was afraid of getting hurt right now. She carried herself rigid and what he called ‘proper’, each step and movement was decisive and there was no wasted movement. She took a chair and set it to the side of his bed, and slowly sat down.

“You seemed dressed for war.” Dipper said and rolled over.

“I’m not leaving…” Pacifica said defiantly. “You think I didn’t hear what happened? What were you thinking going off into the woods by yourself?”

“That I wanted to walk to school like a normal person, not show up in a limo.” Dipper said coldly. He heard no reaction from Pacifica. She was ready for him.

“Be that as it may, I was worried and came to check on you. You missed our meeting.” she said matter of factly.

“And what would we be discussing at our negotiation table?” Dipper said, rolling over to face her. “The fact you gave Wendy a pass?”

Pacifica stared down Dipper; her face was stone and not showing an ounce of reaction.

“You know what happened… I’m sure my sister blabbed the whole thing.” Dipper said and threw himself back around.

“I…” Pacifica started, and then cleared her throat. “I gave Wendy the information she needed to make her own decisions. It’s what I would do to any friend of mine, and yes, even though we may have similar interests, I value her friendship, as much as everyone’s else in our rag tag group, and will not see that go down in flames!” 

“How does it make you feel?” Dipper asked, sitting up. Pacifica’s eye twitched, and she broke her gaze. “Right now… behind the shield you have up.”

“No…” Pacifica said defiantly and relocked her eyes on Dipper. “I will not let you do this to me. I have… we have cried over you for years, each tear was heartfelt and legitimate. I cherished each time and they were necessary. But each time I chose to cry them. I will not let you pull them from me out of spite. We all know what your choice was. I had hoped to show you another way. I knew… in my heart if I gave that to Wendy, I’d lose you. Cherish your time. Because when the goddess you desire fails your expectations, I may not be there to pick up the pieces.”

Dipper’s hands were shaking. He couldn’t bear to look at her. He felt guilty choosing Wendy, but what could he do?

Pacifica moved from the chair and sat next to him. She put his hand in hers and rubbed the back of it.

“No matter what happens with you and the redhead harlot…” Pacifica said. Dipper snorted a laugh. “I’m here and your friend. Knowing you are happy… makes me happy. It… hurts, that I’m not the one to make you happy. I’ll be honest, deep down I had hoped you would have spurned her advances and rushed to me, proclaiming your love and devotion… but I knew it wouldn’t happen. You’ve been through so much, you deserve something and… if I can’t give it to you, then maybe she can?”

Dipper squeezed her hand, and pulled her to him for a hug. Pacifica wrapped her arms around him and clung onto him.

“There… no chance my rousing speech changed your mind… is there?” Pacifica said with a sniff.

“That’s the thing…” Dipper said and pulling away. “I don’t… know what to think. All this weird stuff and with Gideon being involved… there’s shadows moving in the background. The Pines know everything, but we’ve been trying to keep You, Wendy, and a few others as far away from it as possible. It’s… the secret that I’ve been keeping. I still don’t want to go into it, but… I worry that it may have helped you decide to give that paper to Wendy… or that Wendy is being influenced.” Dipper felt his chest tighten again. He didn’t want to have a breakdown in front of her.

“Dipper…” Pacifica said softly. “You’ve been through so much this last year, you can’t tell good from bad.”

Dipper’s chest hurt badly. All his anxiety was rushing in on him. His mind was racing trying to connect the strings. Was this how Billeah was all the time?

“Dipper… Dipper you okay, honey?” Pacifica said, rubbing his back. Dipper felt flushed. He couldn’t breathe. He tried to stand up and fell back on his bed. Pacifica got up and ran to the door. “MABEL!”

*           *           *

“You need to get him to the doctor, psychiatrist, something! He needs antidepressants and something for these panic attacks.” Pacifica lectured.

“He’s fourteen, he don’t need stuff to muddle his head. Doctors give that stuff out like candy.” Stan said. “He’ll be fine; he just needs to work through it.”

“No he’s not; you didn’t see him when I picked him up in the woods. He’s a smart kid, really smart, and with all the crap we’ve been filling his head with, it’s all crashing down around him. He can’t tell what’s what.” Stanford said.

“You need to tell me what’s going on, I’ve stood idly by and had my hand tied while you two apparently decided Dipper was the savior of the earth or something.” Pacifica scolded.

“Universe...es.” Billeah corrected. Dipper felt her move his cold compress and put her hand on his forehead. “He’s still hot.”  

“Just keep it on him… he’s not sick, just… well I guess he is sick, but it’s more in his head.” Stan said. “He’s tough, he’ll work it out.”

“Stop saying that!” Stanford shouted. “Look at him! Really look at him!”

“You think I didn’t go through this? Huh? You think I didn’t have my reality fall away from me and had to push forward to survive? He may be young and dealing with crap, but so did I! I made it out just fine, and so will he!” Stan said with raised voice.

“Will you stop thinking he’s a little version of you?” Sanford yelled. Dipper opened his eyes a crack. His uncle and grandfather were face to face and looked like they were about to come to blows. Mabel was in the corner hiding in her sweater and Pacifica looked like she was about to erupt. His bedroom door burst opened as Wendy stormed in.

“You two! Get the HELL OUT!” Wendy screamed from the door. Everyone looked over at her in shock. Dipper watched through half lidded eyes, she was visibly out of breath. “I can hear you to from the SHACK! I literally just RAN HERE to get you two to SHUT UP!” Wendy surveyed the room and saw Mabel cowering in the corner, taking a trip to sweatertown. “I swear to god I’ll get my axe if you two don’t take it outside.”

She rushed over and put her arm around Mabel as Stan and Stanford begrudgingly left.

“Where were you?” Pacifica said snidely. 

“I had to work… I figured you’d be here already.” Wendy said dryly. “Mabel, you okay?”

Mabel nodded inside her sweater.

“Just… give me a moment.” she said through the fabric.

Wendy stood up and walked over to Dipper’s bed. She slapped his leg.

“Scoot over, I know you’re awake.” Wendy said. Dipper scooted over enough for Wendy to sit down. She removed the compress and felt his head and cheeks. “Will you stop standing there and sit down? He has enough room on the bed… and don’t give me that look. I know you were here all night again… rather convenient you didn’t call me.” Wendy said dryly.

“Dip? How you feeling?” Wendy said softly and stroked his head.

“Honestly? Very uncomfortable.” Dipper said. Wendy slapped his shoulder and chuckled.

“Well, deal with it.” Wendy said and got up.

“Why do you have to be so violent with him?” Pacifica said, rubbing his shoulder. 

Wendy paced the room and put her arms behind her head. She didn’t say anything but blew air between her lips as she paced.

“Every time I think he’s getting better, he starts to feel worse. I told them to get him some help, but they’re stubborn and want him to ‘work it out on his own’.” Pacifica said. “I think he need to see a psychiatrist and get on some sort of medication to control these fits of his. He’s always keeping all his stress inside, he needs someone to talk to.” 

“Fuuudge…” she said, drawing out the udge. “Well, everyone’s here anyway… not like any conversation we have won’t be told to everyone else.”

Wendy grabbed Dipper’s chair and sat down.

“Dipper, honey… I know this is my fault.” Wendy said, and ran her fingers through his hair. “I… may have pressured you… a little.”

Pacifica scoffed

“A little? You stalked him, shot him, and field dressed him in one night. He didn’t have a chance!” Pacifica retorted.

“Nope…” Billeah agreed. Mabel giggled from under her sweater.

“It’s nice to know we can all be so candid about the situation.” Wendy said dryly.

“There’s nothing candid about it… you broke him.” Pacifica said and turned to Mabel. “See what happens when I let others play with my things?

Billeah leaned down and whispered to Dipper, grinning ear to ear. “This is why I wanted to be a girl…”

“You’re... things?” Wendy said indignantly.

Mabel peeked out of her sweater grinning ear to ear.

“Hey… since my brother has so many vested interests… have you two heard of the term Polyamory?”

“What?” Pacifica said in horror.

“What’s that mean?” Wendy asked. Grinning looks on Mabel and Billeah answered that question.

“I’ll write up a schedule… Shall we invite Candy, too?” Billeah said, her laptop was already in her lap. Mabel nodded.

“WOAH! Hold up!” Wendy stammered and raced Pacifica to grab Billeah’s laptop. Billeah deftly moved it aside and out of their reach. She countered the attack with a raspberry.

“I find it hard… to share my things.” Pacifica said indignantly.

“That’s twice you referred to Dipper as yours… and as an object!” Wendy said.

Dipper quietly watched this play out. Oddly enough, the arguing helped relieve his anxiety. Mabel was grinning and trying to meddle with Billeah, Wendy and Pacifica were having it out, but he could tell both of them needed it. He didn’t want to interfere.

“It’s just a term, I don’t see Dippy as a trinket I’d so callously toss aside for years until someone gets their eyes checked and find it’s worth more than it looks.” Pacifica shouted.

Things were starting to go bad.

“Excuse me? He was TWELVE! I don’t care how close in age we were… that was… Eww!” Wendy said.

“Why don’t we have Dipper say something?” Billeah said with a grin. He was going to kill her.

“Are you crazy?” Pacifica said. “He’s not in any sort of emotional state to be making choices! He’d do something crazy and not want to hurt anyone’s feelings and probably run away and become a hobo! He’s already shown to be a flight risk, and apparently can live for months out in the woods!”

“That’s what I’ve been trying to say from the start!” Wendy yelled. Pacifica stammered and fell silent.

“Oh…” she said.

“You finished?” Wendy asked. Pacifica nodded. “I swear to god, if you’re making up a dating schedule, I’ll break that laptop.”

Billeah grinned and pressed a button. “Deleted…”

“Dipper… What I was trying to say is… I came on too strong. I was being selfish and I put a whole bunch of pressure on you. That’s the last thing I wanted to do. We all know you have mixed feelings about… others. I’m honored and love that I’m one of them. So… here’s my proposal. We kinda move back the whole thing back and just hang out… no pressure. I won’t hunt down blondie with my axe if you hang out with her. I just ask you respect my feelings… and respect hers.”

Dipper looked over to Pacifica. She folded her arms to her chest and gave a slight nod. Dipper took a deep breath and nodded as well.

“I… I think that will help.” Dipper said.

“Sooo… does that mean Candy can…” Mabel said with a grin.

“No!” Wendy, Pacifica and Billeah said in unison. Wendy and Pacifica looked at Billeah who opened her laptop and started typing, ignoring the icy stares.

*           *           *

Dipper was awake at 1am again. He paced the house, jiggled the door to his library, and still found it locked. He yearned to go inside and find a sense of normalcy again. He missed his books.

“Come and sit down,” his uncle said from behind him. “We need to have a discussion.”

Dipper walked over to the kitchen island. He saw his Grandpa was already sitting down. He counted two beers on the table, walked to the fridge and helped himself to one. Sitting down he glared at them as he cracked it opened.

“Was I this bad when I was his age?” Stanford asked Stan.

“It’s about right…” Stan said, reaching over and pulling the beer away from Dipper before it reached his lips. “This… stops.” he said, jiggling the beer.

“Takes like crap anyway…” Dipper said. “Are you ever going to let me back into the library?”

“You got your crap together?” Stan asked. “Any more emotional baggage that’s going to break you down because it’s too heavy to lift?”

Dipper remained silent.

“Something we’ve been meaning to tell you before you checked out on us, we found McGucket.”

Dipper’s eyes looked up. “Where?” he asked.

“He’s working for your girlfriend’s father.” Stan said.

Dipper looked confused.

“The blond one…” Stan added. Stanford chuckled.

“Ah the joys of youth...mention a girlfriend and he has to run down a list….” Stanford said. Stan shot him a glare, which promptly shut him up.

“McGucket is working for Mr. Northwest?” Dipper asked.

“No one knows why, he won’t talk to his son. He’s at some lab in Idaho. You asked why we’re doing this. Well, do you really trust Mr. Northwest with the portal technology, or the ability to wipe memories?” Stan said coldly.

“He could use his influence for good.” Dipper protested. “Just because he’s rich doesn’t mean…”

“Dollar bill?” Stanford said softly. “It makes sense. It was his lawyer who helped you, and his judge friend that sentenced you. It wouldn't be too hard for him to sway the judge for a harsher sentence, or even arrange the media circus, all because his daughter has a… vested interest in a commoner.”

“That… doesn’t mean he’s the dollar bill.” Dipper said.

“We suspect Manly Dan’s the axe. and we know Gideon’s father is the hat, it seems to be a reoccurring theme here of being related to Bill’s circle.” Stan said.

“But why? Why would Dan be sided with Rick? He’s so nice to me! I’ve always felt welcome in his home. We went to a Manotaur lodge meeting together!” Dipper said. He felt his chest start to constrict. “And I know... I suspected Mr. Northwest… but…”

“From what we’ve studied, Rick’s avatars don’t even know they are sided with him. Just like Bill’s avatars were unaware,” Stan pointed out. “The four of us together are a bright enough light to attract Rick’s attentions. I know you want to bring Wendy and Pacifica into the fold, and we will. I promise. That leaves McGucket left. You’ve severed Gideon, Robbie died, and Soos cut himself away. Before I endanger any more kids, I want to get McGucket on board.”

“What do you need me to do?” Dipper asked. Stan and his brother looked at each other.

“Nothing…” Stanford said. “Finish school, stick to your plan. Get… better. Live a normal life and be a kid for crying out loud. Let us handle McGucket. We’ll keep you posted. Just, make sure the girls are safe, that’s what you do best.”

“I have Gideon’s star in my room. It needs to go next to Robbi’s hoodie and Soos’s shirt.” Dipper said softly.

“I’ll make sure it’s put there safely.” Stan said.

*           *           *

Dipper closed his eyes and felt soft, delicate fingers run through his hair. He was in the meadow he had taken Mabel to before the big slumber party. Pacifica was on her knees and had his head in her lap, softly trailing her fingers through his hair.

“I must say, the shaggy look does have its qualities.” Pacifica said.

“I can’t believe you made a schedule…” Dipper said, his voice drawn out as he was engulfed in euphoric relaxation.

“Wendy and I spent an entire evening talking… and we’ve come to terms.”

‘With what? the poly...whatever Mabel was talking about?” Dipper said.

“In your dreams, lover boy…” Pacifica cooed. “Since the whole dating situation is much too stressful for you right now, and you seem to have dug your heels in the dirt with it. We’ve decided to just divide our free time and ensure we can enjoy your company on a more… regular basis.”

“So… I just do what I’ve been doing? Hanging out with you, hanging out with Wendy, and that’s it?”  

“That’s all we expect of you.” Pacifica said with a smile. “After all, we’ve got our whole lives ahead of us. There’s plenty of time for you to decide.”

“And Wendy’s okay with that?” Dipper asked.

“We’ve laid out terms...” Pacifica said mysteriously.

“And what happens if someone we don’t know comes into our lives, and I fall head over heels in love with them?” Dipper asked. Pacifica’s nails suddenly dug into his scalp.

“Oh I’m sorry, did that hurt?” Pacifica said sweetly. “This is such a lovely spot your sister told me about.”

“I’m trying not to think about it… This is where we found the unicorn… and the blob.” Dipper said. His hand started to shake. Pacifica shushed him and continued to stroke his hair.

“You’re always sheltering us; let us shelter you for now. We need you to be strong for what lies ahead.” Pacifica said, and bent over. He felt her soft lips touch his ever so gently. It wasn’t rough and passionate like Wendy, but filled with caring and worry.. His anxiety washed away and he reached up to pull her close to him. Pacifica pulled away and moved his hand down.

“Why did you stop?” Dipper asked.

“That’s part of our terms…” she said coyly “A tactic of last resort, should we need to snap you out of your own head.”

“Want to go for a swim?” Dipper asked.

Pacifica nodded and got up, pulling Dipper with her. At the water’s edge, he took off his shirt and pants down to his boxers. Pacifica looked him over and grinned. She pulled his hat over his eyes.

“No peeking” She said. He heard her get into the water and shouted for him to come in.  Dipper pulled his hat back and saw her pile of clothes next to him and she was swimming farther away, he noticed a silky white backside being flashed to him. Pacifica laughed at Dipper’s shocked face.

“I figured that I got to see yours!” Pacifica said, and waved him in. Dipper dove in and raced over to her.

“Arm’s length Dippy… I don’t want you getting the wrong idea.” Pacifica said and splashed Dipper.  Dipper splash back and enjoyed the afternoon swimming in the murky lake with Pacifica.


	17. Graduation

**_May 13, 2014_ **

Dipper watched the clock. The second hand ticked away as he sat in the empty classroom. The answer key mocked him as he read the problems over and over. He knew the answer, but he wanted to be sure and passes with a perfect score. What good is skipping four grades if you get a C?

Dipper committed to his answer and filled it in. He let loose a huge sigh of relief as he softly placed the pencil down. He looked at the clock, he had ten minutes left. Enough time to double check his answers.

“Dipper, time’s up!” said his math teacher. Dipper sat his pencil down and pushed forward his sheet.

“We’ll have your results in a week. Congratulations! Have you looked into furthering your education or what your plans are for the future? I’ll help you any way I can.” He said, shaking Dipper’s hand.

“Well, I have an interest in Cryptography and Math sciences… but I really don’t want to leave Gravity Falls.” Dipper said. “It’s just… I’m also nervous attending a college with how young I am, and my physical appearance may also be a slight hindrance.”

“Dipper, your accident and other… mishaps over the course of your time here at GF Middle School has not stopped you from achieving this milestone. I’m proud to have taken the time to help you, and I’m sure we can find some way to accommodate your future scholastics. It’s the 21st century, I’m sure we can have you attend any school you want remotely. Let me make some calls and see where we are… Do you need a scholarship?”

Dipper shook his head no.

“My parents left enough for that, plus, the insurance and the grant from the government for my uncle’s research will pay for me to have at least three master degrees if I want them.” Dipper said nervously.

“Well, I hope we can find you a challenge.” His teacher said.

“Oh... umm, I know it sounds odd, but I’d like to major in business management… that’s a double major right? I know it’s an odd mix.” Dipper said with a chuckle.

“It’s an odd mix, but par for the course with you.” His teacher said “I’ll go make some calls, Are you looking to get into an Ivy League school?”

Dipper nodded. He’s trying to think ten years ahead, and if Rick’s influence is in finance and business, he needs to learn it. He’s sure Pacifica would be ecstatic if he got into one of the big three, even if it was done remotely.

“With your transcripts, I’m sure there won’t be an issue. I’ll help you get applications sent out before the end of the year.”

*           *           *

Dipper fidgeted with his tie, Pacifica fussed over the suit she picked out.

“Are you serious about this? I made sure to schedule you an hour… He’s very busy and I’m just really nervous. You haven’t spoken since… well, the forest incident.”

“I’m sure… I’ve mapped out what I want to do, and I’m going to have to pull a few strings.” Dipper said.

“Dipper, please,” Pacifica said pleadingly, “I just… I don’t know. I have a bad feeling.”

Dipper kissed her cheek softly and grinned.

“Off to the lion’s den!” Dipper said and opened the door to Mr. Northwest’s office.

“Ah… Mr. Pines, come sit down!” Mr. Northwest said with a grin. He pointed to one of the two large backed chairs that sat in front of his office desk. He poured himself a glass of brown liquid from a crystal carafe and held it out to Dipper. He shook his head no. He had gone over countless books on negotiations and business etiquette. One rule that instantly came to mind was to decline all first offers of gifts, always accept them should a follow up request be given.

Dipper stood next to Mr. Northwest’s desk and had his hands crossed in front of him. As Mr. Northwest moved around to his seat, Dipper offered his hand in greeting. Mr. Northwest grinned and took his hand with both of his. Dipper was ready and deftly put his free hand on top and gave Mr. Northwest a pleasant grin. He felt Mr. Northwest’s grip tighten slightly and let go.

Score one for Dipper.

“I’m terribly sorry about your recent ordeal. I want to assure you the judge who oversaw your case is no longer associated with me. I don’t know what he was thinking.” Mr. Northwest said.

“It was a bad deal but life is full of them. One can only pick himself up and crawl his way back to the top.” Dipper said as he sat down in the chair that Mr. Northwest did not indicate. Another power moves to position dominance in this conversation. Mr. Northwest paused mid-drink and grinned.

“Has anyone ever told you, that you have a boardroom presence?” Mr. Northwest chuckled. “I know many veterans who would probably crack under the pressure you’re giving me, and I have no idea why you’re even here.”

Dipper opened his briefcase and slid over a carefully typed up proposal. 

“Mr. Northwest, you’ve known me some three years now, and you know I have a vested interest in our community. I’ve just graduated high school four years early and got top marks on my SAT’s. I have enough money already saved to get into the two colleges I want…” Dipper said, and trailed off.

“Two?” Mr. Northwest said, looking up at Dipper.

“I plan on completing a doctorate in mathematics… specializing in theory at Cal-Tech.” Dipper said flatly.

“That’s a very ambitious goal, but you mentioned two collages…” Mr. Northwest said, flipping through the transcript he provided him.

“I also will be obtaining my DBA at the same time. I’ve included the class schedules, and workload in the last few pages. Everything will be remote, so I’ll be here, and able to assist should any… oddities… arise.” Dipper said. Mr. Northwest nodded.

“So, this is all a good plan… but why come to me? You seem to have it all planned out.” Mr. Northwest said.

“I want to get the DBA from Harvard.” Dipper said flatly. Mr. Northwest raised an eyebrow at Dipper.

“My school?” Mr. Northwest said. “I admit, it’s a good school, with your grades as they are, you should be a shoe in. Why do I have the feeling there’s something more here. You’re not asking me to make a few calls to get you in?”

“Even being a remote student, I have the chance to pledge… sir.” Dipper said coolly. “I want to pledge Delta Sigma Pi.”

Mr. Northwest’s grin grew even wider.

“Now, we know the objective, I’d like to know the reasoning behind wanting to go to my school and pledge my fraternity. This seems rather… presumptuous… even for you.”

“Aside from my Uncle and Grandfather, I have no other family to speak. It’s said if you wish to become successful in life, model yourself after someone who is successful. You sir, are the most successful person in my life, and I wish to carve my own way in this world and make a name for myself, just like the Northwests.” Dipper said.

“Hrm…” Mr. Northwest said, rubbing his chin and looking over Dipper. “It’s no secret my daughter’s infatuated with you… why not just marry into the family and ask me for a job? It would be much easier.”   

“Sir,” Dipper said. “The relation between Pacifica and I is nowhere close to that. She’s a good friend. I value her company and insight. And should there ever be a Northwest-Pines merger, I believe you would respect me more if I came to you as an equal, and not someone trying to better his family name by marrying into royalty.” 

“So… is that all?” Mr. Northwest said. “I feel there’s a third thing.”

“I’d like you to schedule an hour a day for me.” Dipper said. His Uncle was going to kill him for this.

“For what?” Mr. Northwest asked, he leaned forward and rested his elbows on his table. Dipper felt like a mouse being inspected by a snake.

“That’s up to you. Remember what I said, I wish to model myself for success, I wanted to give you a chance to be a sculptor.” Dipper said. He wanted to position himself close to one of Rick’s avatars so he could study them. He’s sure Rick would want the same opportunity.

“You realize how valuable my time is.” Mr. Northwest said. “But, I think I can find the time once a week.”

“Four days.” Dipper said without dropping a beat. Mr. Northwest smiled.

“Two…” he said, extending his hand. Dipper followed suit, but didn’t place it in his.

“Three. I have the contact information of Delta Sigma on the back. After summer is over, I’ll spend pledge week over on campus, and return here to continue my course work. I plan to use our time together to research a subject for my thesis, you can never start one too early.”

Mr. Northwest grabbed his hand and shook it.

“I’ll have you start interning once you pledge Delta Sigma, no sooner. You have to show me you’re cut out for this sort of thing. I can make a call, but you have to get yourself in.” Mr. Northwest said. Dipper nodded.

“I won’t let you down.” Dipper said. He got up with Mr. Northwest and was walked to the door. He opened the door for Dipper and gave him a pat on the back. Pacifica was waiting in a chair just outside with a worried look.

“Dear… every time you bring Mr. Pines over, I’m more impressed.” He said. Pacifica smiled ear to ear and nodded, ran to her father and gave him a hug and kiss on the cheek. “All you needed to do was ask Pacifica to ask me, you know I’d do anything for my little girl.”

“I didn’t want to come to you that way. I wanted to do this on my own, the only favor I needed was the hour to meet with you. I can sleep better knowing your choice is based on my actions and reasons, not placating your daughter.” Dipper said. Mr. Northwest gave him a nod and turned back to his office and closed the large oak doors.

“Damn those rules…” Pacifica huffed. Dipper looked quizzically at her and she grinned. “I just want to grab you and have my way with you right now.” 

Dipper smiled and gave her a hug.

“This does not help…” Pacifica said.

“I know…” Dipper said.

*           *           *

Dipper and Wendy were laying in the back of her truck at the meadow, watching the clouds.

“Holy crap, so you went in there and did like power plays on Mr. Northwest?” Wendy said in shock.

“Yeah… little ones, but it’s like… maneuvering with wolves. You have to show dominance in subtle ways. Like, when I shook his hand…” Dipper said and sitting up. “I offered my hand first… that’s a point against me, since I took the submissive role. Mr. Northwest grasped my hand with both of his.”

Wendy did so and grabbed Dipper’s outstretched hand with both of hers.

“Well, you put one hand like you're shaking and you cover the back of my hand with your other one…. ya like that.” Dipper said. And he took his free hand and placed it on top.

“This is called the upper hand, since it’s the one on top. So, with our minor skirmish, I won.” 

“You make it sound like war.” Wendy said with a chuckle. “That’s so weird.”

“It is. I’ve been reading up on the psychology of business and the corporate culture. The higher up you go; everything is like a chess game. From seating placements to the refreshments you serve to guests, and all the rules change from country to country.”

“And this is what you want to do? Become a corporate fat-cat?” Wendy said in shock. Dipper shook his head no.

“I want to understand and learn about it. I want to be able to mingle, and see what’s really going on. I’ve been thinking about how things are moving, and when we’re in our 30’s, that culture is going to be even more prevalent than it is now.” Dipper said.

“But what about all the weird stuff you study? I thought you’d be a Bigfoot hunter or something.” Wendy said with a chuckle.

“I plan to keep my finger on the pulse of cutting edge technologies and fringe sciences, that’s why I’m going to study math. That’s the language of the universe.” Dipper said, holding Wendy’s hand.

“You’re really putting me to shame…” Wendy said. “You have your whole life planned already. Me? I don’t know what I’m doing once I graduate. Cut trees? Work at the Shack? Move in with this cute Harvard boy I know?”

“Ha…” Dipper said.

“Hey, you have your life plan, I have mine.” Wendy said. “How did the princess take the whole experience?”

“She cursed her deal with you.” Dipper said with a smile.

“And what did you do?” Wendy said.

“I gave her a hug.” He said with a chuckle.

“Oh, you are evil.” Wendy said with a laugh. “I almost feel sorry for her.”

*           *           *

Dipper walked home with a slight skip in his step. Today was a good day. As he was climbing up the porch, Mabel and Billeah tackled him and drug him inside.

“We heard how awesome you were!” Mabel squealed.

“So… cool!” Billeah agreed.

Stan and Stanford came over and patted Dipper’s shoulder.

“You did good kid, but what’s this whole master plan they’ve been rambling on about?”

“Well, I have a few months left before the Diploma is official. So, I finish school, have one last summer, and then start college. Since I’m banned from the library, I better focus my efforts on other academia.

“So what school you pick? You gonna leave us?” Stan said with a grimace.

“No, I’ll be attending remotely… except for rush week.”

“HA! Rush week?” Stanford laughed. “You? Joining a frat?”

“Not just any frat! Mr. Northwest’s frat!” Mabel grinned.

“Wait… Dipper.” Stan said sternly. “Back up and explain your little scheme slowly… because I’m old and didn’t hear you right. You’re going to Mr. Northwest’s fraternity?” 

“We suspect him as part of Rick’s circle. I’m in the prime position to maneuver myself right next to him and watch his day to day dealings. We may even get a lead on McGucket.”

Dipper explained his plan to his family. He went over a notebook that mapped out in detail his plans for the next ten years.

“When I’m 24, I should be able to either acquire a company and build it up to rival Northwest Industry or have a major stake in theirs. Either way, they won't be able to make a move without me knowing.”

“And the math?” Stan said.

“Universal language. I want to understand what you, McGucket, and Stan built. I want to understand the world around me and delve deeper into its mysteries.” Dipper said.

“I don’t like this one bit.” Stan said with a groan.

“Hey… let the kid try, we’re pushing up on the years, we need someone to take over.” Stanford said and gave his brother a side hug.

Mabel pulled out a giant “Happy Graduation” cake and set it in front of him. Waddles sat down next to him expecting his piece.

“I’ll call the girls and we can really get the party started!” Mabel said with a smile.

“Nah, let’s keep it family tonight” Dipper said, cutting a piece for himself. 


	18. The Dance

Wendy stood in front of Dipper and combed his hair. He protested as she pulled the brush through the knots and applied product to style it.

“You trying to scalp me?” Dipper demanded, wincing from another attack from her brush.

“Pacifica’s going to be here in less than an hour and I promised her I’d make you presentable.” Wendy said.

“You realize how weird that sentence is, right?” Dipper said. Wendy smacked his shoulder with the brush. He rubbed his arm and kept his mouth shut as she kept combing.

“I am trying not to think about it.” Wendy said, tightening his tie and giving him a once over. “I’m sure she’ll find something to complain about.” 

He had promised Pacifica a normal school experience and taking her to the last dance of the year was part of that list. After Dipper’s high school exam and SAT’s, he only stayed for his Gym credit and to be an aid to a few teachers. He spent most of his free time in the school library, away from the whispers and glances from most of the student body. His rag tag group had gotten quite the reputation and being released from juvie didn’t help matters.

“You sure you won’t come?” Dipper asked. “I’m sure we can get you a date.”

“Part of the truce, Pacifica gets you for this dance, and I get you for my senior prom next year.” Wendy said with a grin. “I was going to take you to junior prom but you were still in lockup.”

“Who’d you take?” Dipper asked, slightly jealous.

“I went solo… danced with Tambry and the guys. Robbie was there. No one wants to really talk about his… condition. His parents are doing really good keeping him from smelling.” Wendy said.

“I still regret not shoving my spear through Gideon’s heart.” Dipper said coolly. His hand was trembling. Wendy spun him around and hugged him.

“Shhh. That Dipper is gone… not here. The sweet kind Dipper is here the one who’s going to go to a lovely dance and have a good time with my established rival. I’ll hang out here till you get back and we can talk about how it went. I want lots of pictures, and try to spill something on her, ok?”

“Catty much?” Dipper said with a grin.

“Hey, we have a truce and I love her like a sister, but I can wish some embarrassment on her. I’m sure she says the same about me.” Wendy said.

Mabel burst into Dipper’s room wearing a pink glitter covered dress with Candy and Grenda trailing behind her.

“THERE'S A LIMO OUTSIDE!” Mabel squealed.

“There’s _always_ a limo outside…” Dipper said in confusion. “Pacifica’s picking us up…”

“‘NO! COME LOOK!”  Mabel squealed. Dipper looked out his window and groaned. There was a white stretch Hummer that had pulled up outside. Just when he had gotten used to being driving around by Pacifica’s ride, she had to make an even bigger scene.

“Ok… that’s cool” Wendy said. “I’ll have to borrow that next year.”

“You realize she’s not our personal piggy bank… right?” Dipper said. The five girls shrugged.

“Who am I to deny her when she buys me pretty things?” Mabel asked with a grin. “We’re her friends and it’s the nature of our relationship. She buys our affection… we let her… We all love her, and it’s just how she shows it. Don’t fight it, brobro, just embrace the sugar momma! I mean… it’s not like we ever really ask her to get anything, she just offers.”

“I ask her for things.” Billeah said with a grin. She was wearing a slim yellow and black dress with a plunging back. Her hair was straightened and parted over her missing eye, like Jessica Rabbit. Billeah blushed when she caught Dipper staring.

“Embrace it… but not too much… I’ll break her hand if she gets too grabby.”  Wendy said fixing Dipper’s tie and kissed him on the cheek.

“Just when I thought it couldn’t get tackier around here...” Stan said from behind them. “What in the heck is that?”

“A stretch hummer… it’s pretty bad-ass!” Wendy said.

“We’re going!” Mabel squealed and ran down the stairs followed by Grenda and Candy.

*           *           *

Dipper looked out the window as the limo drove up to the school. Pacifica held his hand and rested her head against his chest. She didn’t say much during their ride there. Candy, Mabel, Billeah and Grenda took turns taking selfies on their phone and photographed every square inch of the stretch Hummer.

“Something on your mind?” Dipper asked. Pacifica shook her head no and kept quiet.

The limo rolled up to their school. They could hear the thumping sound of music coming from the gym. Everyone got out and took turns posing in front of the limo for Mabel. Walking up to the double doors where the dance was, Candy and Grenda moved to his left side and Mabel and Billeah to Pacifica’s right, sandwiching Dipper and Pacifica in between.

“Might as well let you walk in with style, Brobro… who else will show up with five hot ladies on his arm?” Mabel said, grinning ear to ear. Candy wrapped her arm around him. Dipper extended his arms to reach all five and added a strut to his step as they walked through the streamers covering the gym door.

“Too bad Marius was in Austria and couldn’t come.” Mabel said, looking over at Grenda.

“Yeah, we talk all the time; it’s just that long distances are hard on relationships.” Grenda said and walked straight for the snack table. Mabel’s face lit up when Billeah reached into her purse and withdrew a packet of FunDip.

“Mabel! NO!” Dipper said. Before he could stop her, she had snatched the packet and ran to the punch bowl and dumped the whole thing in.

“LET’S GET THIS PARTY STARTED!” Mabel cried over the noise of the room.  

“What… did she just do?” Pacifica asked.

“Don’t drink the punch…” Dipper said, slapping his forehead. “Hey, there’s Robbie! What’s he doing here?”

“I don’t know, let’s go talk to him!” Pacifica said. She grabbed Dipper’s hand and pulled him to the teenage zombie who was leaning against the wall, watching the dance with disinterest.

“Hey Robbie!” Dipper said. Robbie turned his head to look at Dipper. Wendy was right about the delay, it took a few seconds for recognition to set in, then his face lit up with a smile.

“Hey Dipper! Cool eye patch, did you get taller?” Robbie said, and turned back to the crowd, his face went slack again.

“So… what’cha doing here?” Dipper asked. Robbie didn’t look at him, but pointed to a young blond haired girl who was talking with her friends.

“Tambry’s sister… didn’t want to come alone… Tambry’s… working.” Robbie said. He seemed to struggle with the words.

“How’s life as a Zombie? Any regrets?” Dipper asked. Pacifica elbowed him in the ribs.

“Oh? Yeah, it’s… really cool. I never sleep... I miss sleep. I can listen to music as much as I want to. I don’t have to go to school… I don’t miss school. There’s this… stuff… amber? resin? I have to keep on my skin… it’s sticky. I’m always sticky. I don’t like it, but it keeps the bugs off me.”

Pacifica looked at Dipper with an uneasy expression and tugged on his arm.

“Hey Robbie, good catching up with you. I’ll see you around.” he said. Robbie didn’t seem to hear him; he was studying one of the balloons that were tied to the table he stood next to. Dipper followed Pacifica to the dance floor. A slow song was set, and he took her hand and set his other on her waist.

“I don’t think you’ve ever danced with me.” Pacifica said with a smile. Dipper spun her around and gave her a twirl.

“Something I had hoped to rectify. I may have been practicing with Mabel and Billeah to ensure my feet go where they need to.” Dipper said

“My poor Dippy, always studying for his tests…” Pacifica chuckled.

“I don’t have years of dance classes under my belt.” Dipper said, and pulled her against him. Pacifica's face blushed and he laid her head on his chest as they rocked with the music.

“Dipper?” Pacifica asked. “What do you… really think of me?”

Dipper remained silent while they swayed with the music.

“I can’t see myself without you in my life.” Dipper said. “You’re a strong person I admire. You’re beautiful, caring, and compassionate. You’ve changed so much since I first met you, and I admire that you saw your flaws and broke through them. You light up the room whenever you walk in, and I know how lucky I am to have you with me right now.”

“That’s almost perfect.” Pacifica said. “I know how skittish you are but our situation hurts so bad… just, tell me now. Don’t say anything final, a yes or no will do. Is there a chance… even remotely, for us? Could you fall in love with me?”

Dipper paused and turned Pacifica’s face to his. Her lip was trembling and could barely look at him. He thought of Wendy waiting at home for him, of the whole craziness that surrounded him. One thing was clear; he knew how he felt even if he was torn.   

“Pacifica…” he said. She put her finger on his lips to stop him.

“Just… yes or no. I’m not asking you to get on one knee here.” She said with the tone she used while her walls came up.

Dipper turned her to look him in the eye. He put his hand on her cheek and wiped away a tear with his thumb.

“Yes,” he said softly and pulled her into a kiss. Pacifica wrapped her arms around his neck and held him there as the song changed to an upbeat tempo, the two of them still swayed to their own music.

*           *           *

Dipper sat at their table and took a sip of uncontaminated punch as he looked around for everyone. He saw Billeah and Pacifica talking on the other side of the gym. Billeah looked upset, and so did Pacifica. They stormed away from each other, Pacifica on the phone and headed to the girl’s room.

“Sup, Bro!” Mabel said, her eyes were slightly skewed and she was grinning ear to ear. “You like the rainbows?”

“How many cups of punch have you had?” Dipper asked.

“Purple!” Mabel said. Dipper sighed. He looked around and saw Grenda and Candy talking to some of his classmates. He couldn’t find Billeah.

“Pictures! NOW!” Pacifica shouted from behind him. Dipper started, almost spilling his punch. How’d she get behind him? He set down his cup and was yanked out of his seat then dragged to the photographer.

Pacifica stood in front of him and pulled his arms around her. He took care to stand on the left, so the eye patch wouldn’t show up as much in the photo. For the second shot, Pacifica turned around and wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her forehead against his and gave him an almost seductive smile. Once the photo was taken, she stormed off mumbling to herself.

Dipper stood there dumbfounded and returned to his seat. Pacifica was in the corner on the phone and shoved it in her purse and sat down next to Dipper.

“Everything ok?” Dipper asked.

“You haven’t seen your cousin… have you?” Pacifica said with a plastic smile. “Because, I’m going to kill her!”

“I haven’t seen her since you were talking to her… What’s going on?”

“Did you bring your phone?” Pacifica asked. Dipper shook his head no, handed him her phone with a huff. “I just wanted one night with no drama…”

Dipper opened Pacifica’s phone to the group chat. There was a video of their slow dance. The music was too loud to hear what they were saying. Dipper’s heart raced at what happened next. He saw himself kissing Pacifica for what seemed like an eternity. Billeah’s caption to the video was _things heating up for Dipifica!_

He scrolled down and saw nothing else. No one had messaged or commented.

“You think she saw?” Dipper asked. Pacifica’s arms were crossed and she was tapping her foot rapidly.

“What do you think? Who do you think I was on the phone with?” Pacifica snapped.

“I’m sorry.” Dipper said, handing the phone back to her.

“Why? Why do you have anything to be sorry about? It’s the two of us who are crazy!” Pacifica said. “You know what she said? Guess!”

“I…” Dipper said,

“I guess we’re even!” Pacifica snapped and slammed her fist on the table. Mabel’s cup was knocked over. She quietly mopped up the mess. “Why? Why would she do this?”

“Wendy?” Dipper asked.

“No! Billeah! She’s always starting things!” Pacifica said. “I just wanted… a nice night.”

“Billeah is an agent of chaos who’s only been able to watch events as they unfold for eternity, now that she’s corporeal, she tends to go mad with power… but she doesn’t mean to hurt anybody, she just likes to watch the drama…” Mabel said, clearly under influence of Fundip.

“Is she going to be ok?” Pacifica asked. Dipper nodded.

“We’ll worry about Billeah’s little video later. Tonight’s about you and me, and let’s keep it that way ok? No more phones, no more Wendy. I promised you a good night, and a Pines keeps his word.”

Pacifica nodded and put away her phone. Dipper stood her up and took her back to the dance floor.

*           *           *

The ride back was filled with awkward silence. Billeah and Pacifica were on opposite ends, and Mabel was talking incessantly to herself. They had dropped off Candy and Grenda first, so the uncomfortable silence increased once they left. Pacifica had not let go of Dipper’s hand since he took her back on the dance floor. He didn’t know what to feel.

Looking over at Pacifica, he thought to put his arm around her and let her lay on his chest like she liked to do, but her body language told him she had a wall up, and just holding his hand was all she wanted.

When the limo arrived at the Pines residence no one spoke as they saw Wendy’s truck still parked outside.

Billeah pulled Mabel out of the Limo and walked her inside the house, leaving DIpper alone with Pacifica.

“So…” Dipper said.

“Go…” She said with a snip. “She’s waiting for you.”

“Why don’t you come with me? We can all talk…” Dipper asked.

“Wendy and I have already talked. Now _you_ need to talk to her.” Pacifica said. Her voice was cold. Now, more than anything he could use a supernatural attack to take the focus off him. Dipper leaned over to give her a good night kiss on the cheek, and she leaned away.

“Go talk to her first.” Pacifica said. Dipper slid himself out of the Limo and took a step back as Pacifica shut the door. He watched it drive away and turned around to see Billeah watching from the doorway.

“I hope you’re happy.” He said with a snap. Billeah looked down at her feet and didn’t say a word. He walked past her and into the kitchen and saw he retreat after Mabel upstairs. Opening the fridge, he was slightly disheartened to find it empty of Stan’s beer.

He turned around, hoping to see his uncle or grandfather. He could use the advice right now, Stan’s gruff and straightforward approach to things, or his Grandfather’s kind words and jokes. He knew Wendy was upstairs in his room waiting for him to come up. It would hurt her if he didn’t. He felt like a dead man walking.

“What did I do wrong?” he asked himself. He didn’t do anything wrong… did he? Dipper took a breath to calm him down. He didn’t need to have a panic attack right now. He’s going to go up to Wendy, let her air her grievances and see how the cards fell. That’s all he could do.

 Dipper walked upstairs and opened the door to his room. Wendy was laying in his bed with her face in his pillow. He quietly closed the door, sat next to her and put his hand on her back.

“Hey…” he said softly. Wendy scooted over and gave him more room.

“Did you have a magical evening?” She asked in the pillow. “Because… it looked really… magical.”

“Wendy…” Dipper said. She rolled over and glared at him. Her eyes were bloodshot and puffy, her cheeks flushed. She gave him a weak smile and held his hand.

“Tell me… all about it.” She said.

“Well… Billeah slipped Mabel a bag of fun dip… and she proceeded to spike one of the punch bowls. I was able to knock the whole thing over, but only after Mabel had her fourth glass.”

“That sounds crazy.” Wendy said with a chuckle.

“Robbie was there. We said hi to him… he’s still a zombie.” Dipper said. “He was taking Tamby's sister…”  

“And then what happened?” Wendy said. “Please… just tell me?”

Dipper looked at his shoes.

“We had a dance… it was a slow one. We talked and… Pacifica asked me something.” Dipper said. “She asked me if she had a chance with me, even the slightest… if I felt anything for her. She said I didn’t need to make a choice or stress about it, just answer yes or no.”

“I saw what the answer was.” Wendy said and sat up. “I probably should go.”

“No... Please wait!” Dipper asked, grabbing her hand. Wendy half-heartedly tugged and let Dipper pull her next to him. She buried her head in his chest and let out a sob. Dipper rocked her back and forth and ran his fingers through her hair.

“I can’t do this… I can’t.” Wendy said between hiccups. She clung on his shirt. “It hurts so badly. I’m trying so hard.”

“It’s my fault… I let you two do this, and I’ve only hurt you both. I’m sorry.” Dipper said. “I try to be brave and face all the challenges for me… but when it comes to you two, I’ve been indecisive and selfish. I’ve let you both compromise yourselves over me and it has to stop.”

“Don’t do this…” Wendy cried. “Don’t. I won’t be able to handle it.”

“Tonight I told Pacifica that I can’t see myself without her in my life.” Dipper said. “She’s a strong person I admire; beautiful, caring, and compassionate. That I’ve admired how much she’s changed since I first met her. I know how lucky I am to have her by my side.”

Wendy’s hiccupping sobs erupted. Dipper clung onto her and continued.

“She asked me what I thought of her… Not what I thought of you.” Dipper said. “That, when I wake up in the morning, I wonder if you’re up yet. How my hands go numb anytime I’m near you. I can listen to you talk all day, and not notice the time fly by. The amount of passion and love you carry in your heart is something I’m envious of.”

“Really?” Wendy said as she looked up with a smile and sniffed her nose.

“When I first got out of the hospital, your touch electrified me when you put on my lotion. My arm cramped in the popcorn bowl just so I can touch your fingertips. Pacifica means a lot to me, and if things were different… well… what I’m trying to say is that you mean a lot more. Tonight… all I could think about was how hurt you were.” Dipper said, looking into her eyes.

“Dipper… don’t play with me… don’t… not unless it’s real.” Wendy whispered.

“Wendy… I…” Dipper was about to say when Wendy covered his mouth with her hand.

“I won’t be able to handle it… just kiss me please.” She said. Dipper drew her to his lips and held her. Her embrace was like holding fire in his arms. His chest burned, his heart ached and he felt it over every square inch of his body.

*           *           *

“At least you kept your pants on, kid.” Stan said after ripping off his covers. Dipper covered his eyes and protested as the blinds were torn opened.

“Ahh… what’s that for! It’s Saturday!” Dipper groaned. He looked around, and saw Wendy wasn’t there.

“Where do you think she is? Using up all my hot water.” Stan said.

“Oh…” Dipper said, a slight grin crept across his face.

“Wipe that smirk off and get your head back on straight.” Stan said. “You’re wise beyond your years, but judging by the atmosphere… you better wear a helmet.”

Dipper didn’t understand until he heard the crackling gravel of a car driving up the pavement.

“Yup… and better wear a cup along with it.” Stan said and left his room. He shouted downstairs. “Loverboy’s up!” 

Wendy came back in with only a towel and was drying her hair.

“Hey, you’re up… I didn’t want to wake you… Mind if I borrow your shirt?” Wendy said holding up one of his larger sports jerseys.

“Umm…” He said as she turned her back and dropped the towel and pulled his shirt on. “You could have warned me!” 

Wendy looked over her shoulder with a grin. “It’s not like you’re a stranger to them anymore… Mr. Handsy…” She said, and put on her jeans. “Pancakes?”

Dipper pulled the covers to his chest and shook his head.

“I… think I’ll stay up here.” Dipper said. Wendy gave him a stern look and yanked the covers off him. “Hey!”

“Be a man and get your ass downstairs.” Wendy said and pulled him out of bed.

“But…” Dipper said and looked out the window.

“Yeah… I know!” Wendy said and shoved him out the bedroom. “Suck it up.”

Dipper walked down the hallway with Wendy behind him.

“You told her?” Dipper asked.

“She’s as much my friend as she is yours. I’m not going to lie to her, just like she didn’t lie to me. She would have told me what happened even if Billeah didn’t spring it on us like she did. She admitted everything and apologized profusely over setting you up. I called her on it, and said you made the choice, she didn’t do anything.” Wendy said. Dipper stopped and turned to look at her.

“How’d she take it?” Dipper asked.

“Cold and impartial, cfrigid and detached.” Wendy said with a frown.

“That bad…” Dipper sighed.

Mabel, Billeah, Grenda, and Candy were on pancake duty… Mabel half-heartedly directed the process and clung to a blender full of Mabel Juice. She looked strung out and hung over at the same time. Various plastic dinosaurs stuck out of her hair and half her face was covered in glitter, like she fell asleep on some art project she was working on.

“Hey… bro…” Mabel said. She reached her lips to attach to a silly straw and took a large pull. “Fun Dip… rocks…”

Wendy sat down and helped herself to some pancakes when there was a knock at the door. She looked at Dipper, and then the door. Dipper sighed and opened it.

Pacifica stood there with oversized sunglasses.

“Oh... hi.” she said nonchalantly. “I was invited to breakfast.”

“Can… we talk?” Dipper asked. Pacifica looked at him, leaned over and looked at Wendy who was shoveling a huge bite of pancake in her mouth, and back at him. He couldn't read her expression with such large sunglasses. She waved to his porch swing and went to sit down. Dipper followed and sat next to her. He reached over to hold her hand; she deftly pulled it away, and inspected the nails on it. Apparently he was the one who needed to start the conversation.

“I… didn’t want to hurt you.” Dipper said. “I’m sorry.”

“Oh, we are well beyond apologies.” Pacifica said. “The whole… ordeal… was a silly idea anyway. Clearly you’ve made a decision then.”

“Yes… I have… and I’m sorry it wasn’t...” Dipper said.

“Me?” Pacifica said. “If you’re sorry that it wasn’t me, then you would have chosen me. Am I right? I am a big girl and can handle the truth.” Pacifica said. “So far… as I see it… you’re not entirely to blame. I… really don’t see any blame in all of this. You… we… we tried. Part of me always knew this would be how it ended. I tried to prepare myself.”

“I meant what I said… last night” Dipper said. “Understand that. I see that you... even now.”

“I suppose…” Pacifica said.

“You know… My Grandpa has a copy machine… We can run over there and make a paper clone of me. Then there would be no hurt feelings!” Dipper said with a grin. “There was this party at the shack… I made this overly complicated plan to try and get Robbie away from Wendy. I made six or seven copies of myself…”

“Dipper makes an overly complicated plan? I’ve never heard of such a thing!” Pacifica said with a chuckle. “Sweetie, even a copy of you won’t be the real thing.”

“Yeah, they tend to fall apart once they get wet anyway…” Dipper said. “Can… we go back? I don’t want to lose you as a friend. I… I need you in my life just as much as I need Mabel, Billeah, and Wendy.”

“You’re never going to lose me. Is that what you’ve been so terrified of?” Pacifica asked with a concern look on her face. “You were never going to lose me. I may be hurt… passive aggressive… or even straight mean to you at times, but I would never keep you out of my life.”

“You… tend to block out things… I just don’t want to be one of them.” Dipper said softly. Pacifica sighed and gave him a hug.

“We’ll go back to our lunches… ok?” She said. Dipper nodded. “And if she breaks your heart… tell me and I’ll make sure they never find the body.”

Pacifica grabbed Dipper’s hand and led him to the door. She pushed him inside and closed it behind her. Dipper sat next to Wendy, and Pacifica took the seat opposite of her and grabbed a plate. She loaded up a few pancakes and poured syrup over the stack and grinned.

“Good morning!” She said with a cheery grin to the table.


	19. Only A Matter of Time

**_September 6, 2015_ **

Dipper was reading one of his textbooks about statistics in the bed of Wendy’s truck. She slept on his lap, arms wrapped around him. They had driven to the meadow for a picnic and a swim. The late summer heat felt nice as they air dried.

“Dad asked if you’d come over for dinner” She said. “He thinks you’re avoiding him.”

“Why would I be avoiding the giant axe wielding father of my girlfriend of three months?” Dipper asked.

“You’re keeping track?” Wendy said.

“Well, three months, six days and seven hours… but no… I’m not” Dipper said with a chuckle.

“Nerd.” She said sat up. “You’re coming to dinner.”

*           *           *

Dipper climbed the steps of his home after Wendy dropped him back off. Manly Dan was always welcoming and he had an awesome time with her brothers. He always felt like family there.

“Sup Bro.” Mabel said on the swing. “How’s your summer romance going?”

“Great… just got back from Wendy’s house, we had dinner there.”

“Cool... cool.” Mabel said. She swung her legs and got a slight rock going.

“How’re your summer romances going?” Dipper asked.

“I’ve sworn off those this year… This summer was all about me.” Mabel said. “Although those Corduroy twins are looking mighty scrumptious. You seem to be having some good luck with the redheads.”

“Mabel… If Wendy and I ever get married and get a white picket fence… those twins would be your brothers in law.” Dipper said.

“Just means I have to make my move pretty soon then… Maybe I’ll get married before you, then You’ll have Wendy as a sister-in-law.” Mabel said with a grin.

“You are evil… you realize that right? I mean… Gideon? The Gnomes? None of them can compare to the sheer darkness that’s all wrapped up in the glitter and bubble gum that is Mabel.”

“I know.” Mabel said.  

“This summer was a surprisingly quiet one… no vampire bat attacks, no zombies, no trees trying to eat me, no exploding unicorns… nothing.” Dipper said, sitting next to his sister.

“That’s because you’ve been shut away from those books.” Mabel said with a grin. “The Stans are taking care of them… I hear them sometimes talking about it.”

“I don’t know how I feel knowing there’s crazy stuff going on and I’m not in the middle of it.” Dipper said looking at his hands.

“That just makes you normal Dipper… that’s what you need, or you’ll go all cray cray on us. You don’t want to be ack’in cray cray do you bro bro?” Mabel said.

“No… I guess not. I do miss it, though.” Dipper said.

There was a blinding green flash from the gravel driveway.

“Get inside and get Stan!” Dipper screamed and jumped over the railing. He heard the screen door slam shut. Dipper ran full speed to where he thought the light came from.

“Blendin Blandin?” Dipper said as he skidded to a stop. Blendin the time traveler was laying on his driveway; clearly shot multiple times.

“Don’t have much time... Dipper!” He said, his breathing was labored and looked to be losing a lot of blood. “ _You’re_ the anomaly... oh, thank heavens. I was afraid it was… You’ve got to stop them… stop them from bringing him back. It’s going to ruin everything! You have to warn me tomorrow! Tell me about today so I’ll listen!”

“Dipper!” Stan shouted from behind him. He could hear the crunching of the gravel and the sound of two pairs of steps. Blendin reached down to his belt and pulled out his time tape. There was a bullet hole in the center.

“Give this to me.” Blendin said, and pulled what looked to be a ripcord. Dipper covered his eyes as the green light flashed again, and Blendin was gone. All that was left was a blood stained outline of where he fell.   

“What the heck is going on?” Stan said, skidding to a halt behind Dipper. Dipper looked down at the time tape in his hands.

“Apparently I’ll find out tomorrow…” Dipper said. “I need to be let in the library.”

Stan and Stanford looked at each other uneasily

*           *           *

Dipper stood in front of the double oak doors that lead to his sanctuary. He didn’t know how long it had been since he was inside and safe surrounded by his knowledge.

“Son, the minute we get a whiff of you losing it, you’re done… got it?” Stan said. Dipper nodded.

“Grandpa, make sure Billeah’s occupied, I don't… want her involved just yet.” Dipper said. “We might need to use Bill, and the less he sees now, the less prepared he’ll be if I have to call on him.”

“Want me to go play with her?” Mabel asked. Dipper shook his head no.

“You’re my control sample… you’ve experienced this timeline, I need you to tell me inconsistencies as I remember them.” Dipper said. Mabel saluted, kissed Stanley on the cheek as he moved upstairs to hang out with Billeah.

“We, ahh… Well, you’ll see.” Stan said and unlocked the door. He moved aside to allow Dipper to open it.       

He expected his library to be covered in dust and spider webs but it was completely clean. Two large oak desks had been moved in and littered with papers. A large chalk board was there with various notes and formulas scattered over the surface. Dipper took it all in. He stopped in the middle of the room and looked to the north wall. Six columns of shelves were removed and Bill’s seal was carved into the wood paneling. Each of the ten symbols had a shadowbox covering the spaces. Dipper walked forward to take in the ten foot mural and touched Bill in the center.

“We… uhh... kinda took over the place.” Stan said. “You had so many good reference materials, and the shelves were empty, so we were able to re-organize the books to make room.

Dipper looked and saw Robbie’s hoodie, Soos’s shirt and Gideon’s bolo tie in their places.

“This… feels right.” Dipper said.

“Yeah, we thought the same.” Stan said. “Well, you’ve got the floor. What’s with the tape measure?”

“It’s a time machine. You pull it back so far, and you’ll go back or forward in time by that amount…” Dipper explained.

“Blandin was a paradox enforcement agent, When we got Waddles, I was… trying to win over Wendy at the pioneer day parade. When we ran into him and I stole his time tape… caused a bunch of paradoxes and got him fired. Then we went to the future with him to take part in a competition judged by a Giant Time Baby to win a TIme Wish. His was to wish us out of existence, and we wanted to wish Soos a chance to see his real dad. We won, but Soos didn’t want to use the wish, so we got Blendin his job back and gave him some more hair. and Soos got an infinite slice of pizza.” 

“Yea, that sounds about right…” Mabel said.

“Wait… Giant Time Baby? You met him?” Stan said.

“Wait, you know about GTB?” Dipper said.

“Well, know and meet are two different things. I’ve heard rumors, and whispers of a giant sleeping child frozen in the icecaps.” Stan said.

“During our… escapades with the time ruler, we witnessed his awakening and destruction of the world…” Dipper said. “He established some sort of totalitarian society in the future.”

“During my travels, I’ve heard whispers… He and Bill were sorta at odds with each other too.” Stan said.

“You know, you and me need to sit down with your journals and go over each page together…” Dipper said.

“Someday kid, just not now… What exactly did this Blandin guy say before he vanished?”

“That there was an anomaly, and he was glad it was me… that we need to stop them from bringing him back.” Dipper said. The time tape sparked in his hand and glowed slightly. “I think I know how we can get some answers.”

*           *           *

The next morning Stan and Stanford stood around a picnic bench with Billeah, Mabel and Dipper. Dipper ripped a piece of duct tape and taped a red screwdriver to the time tape.

“What are you doing?” Stan asked.

“Sending a message.” he said with a grin. He looks at the time tape and there was a flash of light. A second time tape appeared in front of him, with the screwdriver duct taped to it.

“Three… two… one” Dipper said and pulled the tape out a quarter of an inch and let it snap back. The time-tape and the screwdriver disappeared.

“That’s one helluva trick” Stanford said.

Dipper grinned, grabbed the time tape and stared at it. Another time-tape appeared with the screwdriver. Dipper counted down and sent the tape back in time.

“How many times you going to do this?” Stan said after the twelfth time.

“This is getting boring.” Mabel said.

“Lucky 13.” Dipper said with a grin. “I’ve probably built up enough temporal energy to get noticed… now let’s break something.”

Dipper reached his hand out and picked up the newest version of the time-tape. Holding both tape measures he slowly brought them together. He felt like he was pushing two magnets with the same polarity together. Lightning arced between them and he could feel them protest their close proximity.

There was a flash behind him

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING!” Blendin screamed and rushed Dipper. Dipper deftly moved to the side and Blendin barreled past him and stumbled onto the picnic table. Dipper smiled, put the tape measure in his pocket, and sent the other one back in time.

“Do you know what that would have resulted? Are you trying to get me fired again?” Blendin said as he recovered from his fall. “What were you thinking?”

“I had no way to get ahold of you.” Dipper said. Blendin sat down and took a few deep breaths. He checked his device on his arm and looked up at Dipper.

“There’s a major anomaly here, and not the one you created to get my attention… When did you steal my time-tape again?” Blendin asked.

“I didn’t steal it, you gave it to me.” Dipper said.

“Why would I do that? You know that’s a violation of the Time Paradox code.” Blendin said.

“Look down.” Dipper pointed. They had moved the picnic bench right next to the Blendin shaped bloodstain on his gravel driveway. Blendin looked down and his face dropped.

“I’m not supposed to see that!” He said. “I’m… are you trying to drive me insane?”

“You appeared, handed me this, and told me to give it to you today… then you vanished.” Dipper said. “You looked pretty shot up too.”

“Shot? Shot? With projectiles? You know what this means?” he said. “It wasn’t Lolf and Dundren who were after me, they would have vaporized me! Sometime in the future… I get filled with holes by primitive 21st century weapons! WHY ARE YOU TELLING ME ALL OF THIS? Did you move my body or something? I look like I lost a lot of blood.” 

“No, you pulled that.” Dipper said and pointed to his red zipper under the collar of his jumpsuit.

“Oh good. That’s an emergency ripcord. If I was able to pull it, I should be in the medical center.” Blandin said with a sigh. “What exactly happened?”

Dipper recounted the events while Blandin nodded through the key points.

“This sounds like something I would not be involving myself… I don’t know who was returning, or who you need to stop… but I should really get back to work. I’m sorry if I don’t have any answers.”

“Do you know Rick Imperium?” Billeah said. Blandin dropped his time-tape and looked over to her.

“H... how do you know that name? No one is allowed to say it. The Great Time Baby _demanded_ it.” Blendin said while fidgeting with his fingers. “What have you gotten me into?”

“Tell me what you know about him.” Dipper said. “It’s important.”

“Ohh… so many rules… It’s hard to talk about. We’re implanted with chips in our heads to prevent us from causing irreparable damage to the timeline. The fact that I’m talking about the chip to you people means I’ve already done it… or will do it… I’m sorry; I got a C in Temporal Languages.” Blendin said.

“So, if you can talk to us about Rick, then you’ve already done it and the chip won’t activate… right?” Dipper asked. Blendin nodded.

“Well… He released the Great Time Baby from its icy imprisonment… Rick was able to manifest into the real world… how is blocked to us. No one knows when or where this happened. All we know is when he came into the world, everything changed. It was world peace, but not the kind you twenty-firsters write about. Technology exploded because of….OWWW… can’t talk about that.” Blandin said while he grabbed his head for a moment. “Ok. Rick’s influence brought a utopia… but lead to conformity.”

“When we saw the Great Time Baby destroying the world, everything looked really weird. The buildings were all square and blocky… it was really ugly.” Mabel said. “The colors were terrible.”

Blendin nodded. “That’s Rick.”

“Wait… I don’t understand. If Rick released the time baby, why did the giant diaper go all King Kong on the world?” Stan asked.

“I don’t think Rick intended for GTB to be released.” Blendin said.

“Wait… if Rick’s influence gave humanity and explosion of technology… Mabel, remember those buildings? We were in Gravity Falls when we arrived… we only moved forward in time, we never moved our location. Where were the trees?” Dipper asked.

“Yeah, the whole city was all polluted and smelled like old people.” Mabel said.

“I think Rick’s empire will increase deforestation and create a need for more minerals. He’s going to cause global warming to have the earth conform to his desires. Then the ice caps will melt and GTB will be released.” Dipper said. “It all makes sense.”

“He always was a big crybaby…” Billeah said with a smirk. Blandin looked at her and down to his readout on his arm.

“I don’t even want to ask about you… I’m afraid I’ll get reeducation if I know the answer…” he said. Billeah shrugged.

“Look Blandin, you’re already involved. Now, I can go, or you can go… it’s up to you.” Dipper said with a grin.

“Go? Go where?” He asked. “I’m confused…”

“Find out where Rick’s going to be resurrected. I’m sure that’s what you’re trying to have me stop.” Dipper said.

“This… this goes against everything I’ve worked so hard to get… You may not be concerned about what happens in a thousand years, but that’s where I live, that’s my life! What if I help you and go back to find everything changed and different! I’m not brave… I’m not even that smart. I got beat by two twelve year olds at Globnar!” Blendin said. “And… and I’m going to get shot! Why would I go do something when I know I’m going to get hurt and possibly die?”

“I know it’s scary, but we need you. You’re a player now, not just an observer. You’re choices are going to affect things, not just keep them from changing. Today is your day to decide.” Dipper said, putting his hand on Blendin’s shoulder. Blendin nodded without a word, pulled his time-tape, and disappeared with a flash.

“What now?” Mabel asked.

“Go about our business… and wait for Blandin to return. Stan and Grandpa, can you look into what it would take to summon Rick to our reality?” Dipper asked.

“It will be hard… the seal is still powerful.” Billeah said. “We’ve secured many, but, the loss of one more may be enough to let him into this world.”

“The only one unaccounted for is McGucket” Dipper said. “He’s a priority. If he dies or gives up who he is, then all is lost.


	20. Realization

**_November 12, 2015_ **

Dipper handed Mr. Northwest a portfolio and opened another on the pile next to him. He read over the proposals, highlighted key points and made notes in red pen with his impressions and observations.

Mr. Northwest silently glossed over the folder that was handed to him and nodded to himself.

“Mr. Pines.” Mr. Northwest said. “You’re free tomorrow afternoon, are you not?”

“Yes sir.” Dipper said, scribbling a note and closing the folder. He deftly set it on the desk and opened the next one.

“I have a board meeting in Seattle, I want you to come and sit in.” He said. 

Dipper nodded and chewed on his pen.

“That’s a habit you’re going to need to break.” Mr. Northwest said. Dipper took the pen out of his mouth and made some notes.

“I’ve been told that before.” Dipper said. Mr. Northwest laughed and went over the file.

“I must say, it’s been a joy to have you around. I’m getting more work done than usual. Your notes are quite insightful.” Mr. Northwest said.

“Take your daughter to go see Lion King. The opening on broadway is next week.” DIpper said flatly. “I should have freed up your schedule enough for the trip.”

Mr. Northwest’s jovial smile fell.

“What are you implying?” He asked.

“You’re a busy man. Since I’ve started interning, I’ve alleviate your workload, so instead of filling the openings with more work, you should fill them up with your family.” Dipper pointed out and made a note.

“You’re being rather blunt today.” Mr. Northwest said.

“You're a capable leader of industry, I don’t need to mince my words for you.” Dipper said. “Pacifica’s always told me she’s lonely and you’re always away. If you keep this up, you’re going to lose her. She has four more years till she’s an adult, and then what? She moves out and away. She’s already shown the single mindedness that she gets from her father. You don’t want that turned against you.” 

“I can see your point.” Mr. Northwest conceded.

“I’ve already arranged everything, just go to the airport. I’ve scheduled flowers to be sent to your wife as well. It will be a lovely surprise sprung by a loving father and doting husband.” Dipper said and passed him another folder.

“And what’s in this for you?” He said suspiciously. “Why go through all the trouble? You’re no longer in Pacifica’s crosshairs.”

“She’s my friend, and I can see this family’s legacy going up in smoke because of a workaholic father and inattentive mother.” Dipper said. “We both know, the most important thing is your family.”

Mr. Northwest studied Dipper as he made some highlights and wrote in the folder. Dipper closed the folder and gave Mr. Northwest a grin as he handed it to him.

*           *           *

“It’s been months…” Billeah said as she sat next to Dipper on his bed. Dipper was reading a math book and making notes for his homework at Caltech.

“That’s how time works… it start with days, then weeks, then months.” Dipper said. Billeah smacked his arm, causing his pen to scratch across the page. “Hey!”

“Blendin has not returned.” She said.

“Blendin’s a time traveler. He’ll show up when he shows up… We know we’ll see him again, otherwise he wouldn’t have given me the time-tape to begin with.” Dipper said.

“What if that was him returning?” She asked.

“No, he would have said the location if he found it… I think we learn the location, and then whatever happens to Blendin happens.”

“So… we fail.” She said softly.

“How so?” Dipper asked.

“If we stopped it, Blendin would not have been hurt and not given you the time tape.” She said.

“That’s a possibility. But, if we’re stopping some of Rick’s avatars from summoning him, won’t you think there would be armed guards? Blendin could have come with us to the location, we stop it, and we get shot at as we escape… so it could be a win.”

“I can find out…” Billeah said. Dipper thought about that already, and shook his head no.

“We don’t want to put you in Rick’s crosshairs. If you’re only partially aware and Rick attacks you on the mindscape, you wouldn’t be able to fight him off in your present state.” Dipper said.

“You don’t know that.” Billeah countered. 

“Neither do you…” Dipper said.

“I can find out…” Billeah said.

“Not yet… I do plan on letting you go play up there soon, I just… need some time.” Dipper said.

Billeah sighed and took Dipper’s book away from him. She rolled him to the side and laid down next to him. Dipper let her put his arm around her and she nuzzled into his chest.

“Someone’s lonely.” Dipper said. Billeah kept quiet. “Someone might say you’re getting too old to do this.”

“Never…” she said defiantly. Dipper sighed and pulled her close. He could feel her tiny body relax as she took shelter under her pinetree.

Dipper must have nodded off, he felt someone crawling on his bed and slide behind him.

“Hey brobro, I wanna get in on the cuddle train.” Mabel said and wrapped her arms around him. “She looks so cute sleeping like that.”

“Yeah… my arm’s asleep though.” Dipper admitted.

“You’ll suffer through it for her.” Mabel said.

“I’ll suffer anything for the both of you.” Dipper said. Mable squeezed him and buried her head in his back.

“That’s so not fair.” Mabel said.

“What?” Dipper asked.

“You… you’re always protecting me, throwing yourself in harm’s way for me. Solving spooky mysteries and I follow behind you every step of the way; I just… don’t feel like I really do anything for you other than be your damsel in distress.” Mabel said.

“You have your grappling hook. That saved me countless times.” Dipper said. Mabel kicked his calf. “Hey, shoes off when you get in my bed!”

“Shh! You’ll wake her!” Mabel said. “And you know it’s true. You’re done with school and going to two colleges! What am I doing? Knitting sweaters!”

“Mabel, you’re a part of me. I’d be devastated if I lost you.” Dipper said.

“You always say that... but do you realize how destroyed I’d be if I lost you?” Mabel asked. “I love you, Brobro.”

Dipper hugged Mabel’s arm.

“Do you hear that?” Dipper asked. Mabel sat up. Billeah’s face twisted in pain as his walls cracked into squares and morphed into screaming mouths. They all screamed the same thing

_I’ll destroy you!_

The whole house shook through the sonic barrage. All the windows exploded out and then mouths disappeared.

*           *           *

Dipper stretched his back after he swept up another pile of glass. Mabel called the girls and they came over to help clean up. Stan and his Grandfather began to put up some protection wards around the house to try and prevent another attack.

“It’s getting worse… isn’t it?” Wendy said. Her face was painted with a look of worry.

“The voice… it sounded hurt and angry… I’ve never known anyone to be so angry before.” Mabel said softly. “I think I recognized it.”

“I don’t know what it is, but I’ll do my best to stop it.” Dipper said.

“You should all stay at my place for a few days; I can have someone clean all this up.” Pacifica said. She crinkled her nose at the garbage bag. “I’m… serious… I can pay someone to do this… I won’t mind.”

“Stop griping and get sweeping!” Wendy said. Pacifica sighed and swept the dirt and glass that covered the tile floor of the kitchen.

“Ok… we got some glass guys coming in next week.” Stan said, looking around the carnage. “We need a place to stay till they’re done.”

Pacifica raised her hand.

“I have plenty of room, and well, I’m sure I can get you a deal with our staff to… make this place presentable.” she said.

“Why didn’t you say so earlier? Drop everything and let’s get outa here.” Stanford said as he came back in with a garbage bag.

“You think that’s really ok?” Dipper said. “I mean…”

“Why? Just because she’s loaded and offering to throw some charity our way?” Stanford said. “I say make it rain, honey!”

Pacifica and Mabel giggled as Stanford started dancing.

 “It really won’t be a bother; I’ll just double check with Daddy.” Pacifica said and pulled out her phone. “Hey Daddy!”

Pacifica spoke to her father for a few minutes and had a worried look on her face as she hung up.

“Said we can’t have company tonight… he’s going to a late meeting.” Pacifica said.

“That’s all right; we can stay in a hotel or something.” Stanford said.

“His calendar is clear, and he doesn’t need to be there for us…” Dipper said. “How did he sound?”

“Distracted… annoyed.” Pacifica said.

“That’s odd.” Dipper nodded.

“You two going to tell us?” Wendy said.

“Well, Mr. Northwest is always brief and direct. I’ve stayed over plenty when he wasn’t there, he’s not one to worry about company… it’s odd he’d tell her no.” Dipper said.

There was the crackling of gravel and everyone turned to look out the blasted front window. A black van with tinted glass was careening towards the house. It slammed on it’s brakes and skidded to a stop. Blendin exited the passenger side door and tore open the driver’s side and helped out Agent Trigger who was holding his shoulder. Stan and Stanford rushed forward to help.

“Get inside!” Agent Trigger screamed. Dipper rushed to the first aid kit while Wendy helped him out of his jacket.

“Looks like it’s clean through” Stan said with a nod and opened the first aid kit.

“Agent Powers has gone rogue.” Trigger said, his expression reflected hurt and betrayal more than pain. “I got a lead on McGucket… and was following up on it when… Agent Powers said I got too close.” 

“What happened, Blendin?” Dipper asked.

“I’ve been sneaking through the time stream… the event is locked out, I can’t approach it. I know where it is, just not how to get there.”

“What event is he talking about? When I was shot, this man came out of nowhere and got me to a car, told me to get to you guys.” Agent Trigger said and winced when Stan poured alcohol on still bleeding wound.

“He’s still bleeding badly; we need to get him to a hospital.” Stan said.

“Cauterize it, we may need him” Stanford said. “I’ll get the screwdriver…”

Dipper grabbed Wendy and Pacifica and moved them to the stairs.

“You two should leave.” he said.

“No way!” They said in unison. Dipper groaned.

“You don’t get it!” Dipper protested.

“ _You_ don’t get it. We’re as much involved in this as you are.” Pacifica said. They all turned to look at Agent Trigger as he let out a scream. A small trail of steam was coming from his wound as Stanford jammed a white hot screwdriver into the bullet hole.

“Almost done…” he said and twisted. “There… now the back.

“I think I’m going to be sick…” Wendy said.

Stan patched up Agent trigger and Mabel fashioned a sling for his arm.

“Blendin, tell me what’s going on.” Dipper said.

“It’s tonight… I’ve listened to people whisper about bringing someone to our world... and a sacrifice.” Blendin said nervously.

“It has to be McGucket…” Stan said. “Why else would Agent Powers try and shoot Trigger?”

“He must be the tie!” Dipper said, looking at Agent Trigger’s tie.

“I’m confused...” Agent Trigger said.

“Let’s head to the library and get everyone up to speed.” Dipper said and helped Agent Trigger to his feet. Wendy and Pacifica followed the rest to Dipper’s library and he pulled out Journal 3. Everyone was silent as he explained who Rick was, and what he knew. Wendy and Pacifica’s faces looked devastated when he mentioned his suspicions about their involvement.

“What’s that?” Pacifica asked. “It’s… my Llama.”

“This… is what we’ve been keeping from you two.” Dipper said. “I’ve been trying to protect you from all of this.

“That’s Mabel’s sweater… I remember her wearing it… and Robbie’s hoodie” Wendy said.

“Like Rick’s avatars, these are the originals. I haven’t figured all of them out, but you can see who’s no longer with us.” Dipper said.

“And.. the triangle in the center?” Pacifica asked. Dipper reached his hand out and felt Billeah’s tiny hand. He pulled her forward.

“This… is Bill Cypher.” Dipper said. “When the portal opened and I fell in... it did irrefutable damage. With Bill’s help, we fixed it. I tricked a higher dimensional entity into taking on human form. In doing so, it’s lead our world to the attentions of Rick.”

“That explains the anomaly I’ve been reading... no one knows what to do with it.” Blendin said.

“So… Billeah is this one eyed triangle thing?” Wendy asked. Dipper nodded. “Ya know… it explains so much.”

Pacifica walked to Dipper and put her arms around him.

“You’ve been carrying all this… you should have shared it with us sooner. We could have helped.”

“He’s looking for us…” Billeah said. “We’ve grown brighter.”

“If you all knew… He’d redouble his efforts. He wants to drive us apart. We’re bound together and form a barrier that protects the world from others like Bill. If any of us fall… in life or faith, then he’ll have enough power to fully form within our world, and there’s no way for me to trap him like I did Bill.”

“I don’t like this…” Blendin stuttered. “I… I shouldn’t be here. This is too much temporal knotting for me to even be near… one wrong slip can drastically change our future.”

“Blendin, where is this happening?” Dipper asked. He tapped on his wrist and a map pulled up of the town. There’s a red blinking marker showing a back alley on Main Street.

“Oh not there…” Stan said. He grabbed journal 3 and flipped the pages. Slamming the book down him showed the entry “Cursed doors”

“This thing… you go in, and you never come out. I’ve tried for years to get them to board it up, but no one seems to notice it… unless you have to go to the bathroom really bad. Then you’re never seen from again. I’ve documented quite a few around town… but this one is the worst.”

“They must have McGucket… if they kill him, they’ll remove enough of the circle to bring him back.” Dipper said.

“I’ll call for backup… we need to put a stop to this!” Agent Trigger said, and grabbed his phone.

“Do that, but we’re going in the door. You’re not a part of this… not like we are. We can use the support, but not you or your men are going in that door.” Stan said. Agent Trigger nodded.

“We’ll grab anyone who comes out.” Agent Trigger said.

Dipper grabbed his backpack and loaded the three journals into it along with his Presidential Key. He reached behind a bookshelf and pulled out a quarterstaff. He couldn’t bring his spear, if Rick’s avatars were gathering; he didn’t want to kill them.

“I’ll get my Grappling hook.” Mabel said and ran upstairs.

“You guys… are really prepared.” Pacifica said.

“Just stay behind us… I know we can’t stop you from coming.”

Dipper didn’t notice when Wendy left, but she came back in with her Dad’s double bladed axe and grinned.

“Figured… we’re dealing with doors… this could help.”   

Everyone piled into Agent Trigger’s van. Stan drove to Main street and parked in front of an alley behind the Malt shop Dipper and Pacifica have their lunches.

“It’s been here all this time?” Dipper said. Stan nodded.

“If you don’t know it’s there, you won’t see it… unless it’s hungry.”

“Dipper…” Pacifica said and pointed. On the other side of the street was a news van, Wendy’s truck, and a Rolls Royce.

“Do you think they are all going to gather?” Dipper asked. Stan shrugged.

“Once inside, let’s wait until they all are here, then we can see who they all are.” Stan said. Everyone nodded.

“I’m scared…” Pacifica said. Dipper squeezed her hand to reassure her. Wendy smacked his shoulder.

“I’m scared too…: Wendy said to Pacifica. “don’t be such a baby.”

“I’ll have some eyes on the roofs in about five minutes. We’ll keep out of sight till you come back.

“If we’re not back in an hour… blow up the door.” Stan said. He turned to Wendy and Pacifica. “Last chance to get off the crazy train… because we don’t know when this tunnel’s going to end.”

Wendy and Pacifica looked at each other and nodded.

“We’re good.” Wendy said.

Stan led them down the alley and to the door. Dipper could see it breath, like it was alive. There was a crack that ran horizontally across the face, making it look like jagged teeth. Without warning… the door opened. Behind the door’s face was inky blackness.

“Time to go…” Stan said and took a step forward. Everyone else followed suit and was engulfed in darkness.


	21. Reformation

_**November 12, 2015** _

“It’s so dark… I can’t see…” Wendy said.

“I have the flashlight on… the light’s just not hitting anything.” Stanford said.

“Just keep walking forward… that’s what the others would have to do…” Dipper said. “Everyone should hold hands.

It took a few minutes to get everyone connected. Stan pressed on, blindly walking in inky blackness.

“There’s a light up ahead.” Mabel said. Stan redirected the group to the light source.

“This is why I couldn’t find it… this place is outside of time itself… How is this place even be possible?” Blendin said. .

“Are we in the Mindscape?” Dipper asked

“No… this is different.” Billeah said.

The group got closer and the light grew. They could make out a structure in the middle of the inky blackness.

“That almost looks like a Stonehenge.” Dipper said quietly. They could hear voices coming from it. Stan moved the group behind one of the massive stones. They peek around the edge and looked to see who was there.

“Dad?” Wendy said. Dipper put his mouth over hers and pulled her back. Manly Dan looked in their direction and returned to his conversation with Mr. Poolcheck.

“Oh… not Susan…” Stanford said. Dipper could hear his heart break as Lazy Susan pulled open her eye and scanned the darkness..

“Of course.. it’s a closed eye!” Dipper said with a forehead slap.

“And that B thing must be a pool whistle.” Mabel said, pointing to Mr. Poolcheck.

“Everyone’s almost here.” Mr. Northwest said as he walked in from the blackness. Officer Blubs and Shandra Jimenez, the local news anchor walked in with him.

They heard muffled struggling as Agent Powers appeared with the Greasy diner’s fry cook and Gideon’s father who was carrying McGucket.

“We’re missing one…” Mr. Northwest said.

“I’m here! I’m here!” a familiar voice said from the darkness. Mrs. Valentino trotted in with her big smile. “I got turned around… sorry!”

“Agent Powers… do you have the Memory Nullifier?” Mr. Northwest asked. He nodded. “Good set it so we forget who each other are until we’re summoned again. This should be the last time we convene like this. Imperium!”

“Imperium!” Everyone shouted and thrust a hand in the air.

“With the cutting of this string, we shall bring order to this world of chaos!” Mr. Northwest said. Mrs. Valentino produced the wavy bladed knife she used to summon back Robbie. 

“We need to stop them!” Dipper said. “We need to get the memory nullifier. If we wipe their minds of all this, we’ll be able to get them to work on our side… Manly Dan would be the first one to use it on.”

Dipper gave the shrink flashlight to Pacifica after flipping the stone around. .

“This stone is about ten feet… use this on me first till I’m about that size. Then Stan and Grandpa With our size increased, we should be able to handle the skirmish without hurting anyone.”

“I got a jar!” Mabel said, and produced a glass jar from her bag.

“What do we do with that?” Wendy asked.

“Well, Dipper will be big, so make the jar big and put them inside!” Mabel said with a grin

“Like what Gideon did to us.” Dipper said with a smile. “Good plan. Pacifica, get us first, then the jar. I’ll go for Agent Powers first so I can grab the memory gun. Grandpa you go for Manly Dan. He’s going to be the toughest one”

The crowd formed a circle in the center of the smooth glass like stones that formed the monolithic structure. They chanted in an incomprehensible dialect and the stones began to glow a dark, eerie green.

Pacifica flipped on the light and Dipper saw everyone get smaller. Wendy had readied her axe and stood in front of Mabel. Pacifica pointed the flashlight to Stan. As soon as Dipper saw his uncle start growing he stepped out behind his cover and slammed his foot into the ground.

“HEY!” He roared. “Knock that off!”

The sight of a giant Dipper was too much for them, they stood there dumbstruck as Dipper reached down and grabbed Agent Powers. His training must have taken over, and he quickly withdrew his sidearm and fired it. Two shots cut into his cheek. Agent powers quickly held the gun against the second knuckle of his thumb and fired three rounds. Dipper’s hand exploded with pain and he threw Agent Powers against the green thrumming stone. He slid down motionless. Dipper took a second, worried he killed the man, but was relieved to see his chest rise and fall.

Dipper looked down at his hand; he could barely move his thumb. Agent Powers must have packed hollow points because the back side of his hand looked like ground beef. 

“You ok?” Stan asked as he grabbed Manly Dan and set him inside the giant glass jar. Dipper nodded.

“Blendin, grab the Memory gun from Agent Powers!” Dipper shouted. Everyone inside the circle had come to their senses and scattered. Wendy shot out like a rabbit and chased down Lazy Susan. She tackled the elderly woman and held her down till Stanford grabbed her and put her in the jar. Blendin quickly took aim and shot the inhabitants with the memory wiper as they were placed inside. Dipper couldn’t grab anyone, he did his best to block them from disappearing into the darkness and let Stan and Stanford grab them.    

Mr. Northwest was the last one grabbed. Blendin used the memory gun on him, and he collapsed next to everyone else.

“Good job!” Dipper said. “Pacifica, could you get us back to normal size?”

Pacifica obliged and shrunk everyone back down. Dipper gave a one armed hug to Mabel as she rushed forward with gauze from her bag and quickly bandaged Dipper’s hand

“Hey! He’s taller than me!” she complained and snatched the flashlight from Pacifica.

“But… I like him taller.” She whimpered.

“Nope, we had a deal... I’m one millimeter taller than he is… FOREVER!” She said and flashed him with the light. “That’s better!”

“So… that’s it?” Blendin asked. “Can we get out of here?”

Stan came back with McGucket and untied his wrists.

“You ok?” Dipper asked. McGucket nodded.

“Scared the squirrels out of my boots but I’ll live… wish I could erase the horrors I done seen, but I guess waking up and screaming in the middle of the night is in the cards dealt to me.”

“So… what do we do from here?” Wendy asked.

“I guess we can shrink the whole jar for easy carry… and then try and make our way out of here.” Dipper said.

“Umm… How come the stones haven’t stopped glowing?” Mabel asked.

In the center of the monolith black smoke had pooled and was not dissipating. Lightning arced from the tops of the stones with an ear splitting crack of thunder. The whole black cloud collected and condensed into a bubbling ball of black ooze. Lightning arced across the surface as the smoky ooze bubbled and frothed faster and faster.

“I didn’t think it would be this easy…” Dipper said with a groan. “Ok guys… here’s the…”

An inky black tendril shot out and grabbed Dipper by his throat and yanked him up to the floating black mass. Glowing red eyes formed and an evil, jagged smile crept across the blob.

_I have you now_

Dipper struggled but felt him losing consciousness. He couldn’t breathe. He had hoped to save this as a last ditch emergency. Closing his eyes, he focused on the green gem around his wrist. His staff and Wendy’s axe flung into the inky blackness. Dipper fell, but stopped inches from the ground.

“Dipper! NO!” Mabel screamed. “Don’t use that!”

He and Mabel talked about Gideon’s gem at length when he returned from the woods, before his incarceration. They both tried it a few times, and agreed it was pure evil. Each time they used it, they could feel corruption inside themselves. Dipper could almost forgive Gideon, knowing he was influenced by such a thing… almost.

If he had told Mabel he was bringing it, she would have made him leave it. He needed to save her… so he lied to her… again.

“Dipper!” Mabel screamed. He threw a barrier around the inner circle, refusing to let the ink blob hurt her again. Mabel, Wendy and Pacifica pounded against the shield. He couldn’t hear their screams. His mind was focused on the inky mass who now took a humanoid form. It paced left and right, its head twisted and dripped into itself.

“Kill you... I will… take them back… take them all back!” it said, slobbering it’s words.

“Never!” Dipper said and launched his axe and pole at the mass. The ooze split in two, and the projectiles passed between him harmlessly. It launched another tendril assault. Dipper opened himself up to the gem and he dodged them effortlessly. He flung an arc of green fire at them and they burned away. The creature screamed in pain.”

“I’ll swallow you in darkness like you did me!” It screamed and bubbled; the humanoid shape swelled and filled the enclosure. Dipper walked forward defiantly and let the inky blackness surround him.

*           *           *

Mabel didn’t know how long she screamed. Her brother walked into the darkness to face whatever monster it was without flinching. Pacifica and Wendy held each other, tears streaming down their silent faces. Billeah stared like a stone statue.

“Grandpa… Stan… Do something!” Mabel pleaded. She pounded on the green shield, mere inches from the slithering shadows that franticly lashed about.

“We have to trust him.” Stan said, and put her arms around her. “The shield is holding, we can only hope he’s still ok inside.

The ground shook and Mabel was knocked off her feet.

“What was that?” Blandin asked.

“Agent Trigger must have blown up the door.” Stan said.

“So… we’re trapped here?” Blandin said. “We… we can’t be!”

“I’m sure there’s another way out. We know at least you make it out alive.” Stan said and patted Blandin on the shoulder.

“What’s taking so long?” Pacifica asked. “It feels like hours.”

“It probably has… remember last time Dipper went inside that thing? He said he fought it for a few minutes… time probably grinds to a halt for him.”

There was a green flash that split the black ink and dissipated against the shield. The darkness engulfed the brief light burst and went back to its slithering pulsating mass.

“Attaboy, Dipper…” Stan said.

No one said a word. The green flashes seemed to appear at a faster rate. Each flash was engulfed within shadows.

“Pacifica! You let your father out right now!” screamed Mr. Northwest. Some of the others stirred. Pacifica walked over to Blandin and took the memory gun. She fiddled with the settings and slowly walked over to him. “What are you…?”

Pacifica pulled the trigger. His eyes rolled back and he collapsed on top of Manly Dan. Mabel watched as she emotionlessly fired the gun over and over until everyone was back unconscious. Pulling out the flashlight from her purse, she shrunk the jar and picked it up. She carried it back to the group and sat down with it between her legs.

“Hey… I think something’s happening.” Wendy said. Mabel looked at the barrier. She was right. The flashes became more and more intense. Each time the flames hit the shield. It was harder for the shadow to overtake it.

“Hey… Cover your eyes everyone!” Stan shouted. Mabel saw a tiny dot from the middle of the darkness grow brighter and brighter. The tiny sun expanded to the full size of the barrier, burning away any shadow and exploded beyond.

It took a moment for her eyes to adjust. She thought she was going crazy. There were two Dippers. An older Dipper, with a missing eye and covered in burns, and a naked twelve year old Dipper.

“You can’t stop me!” said the twelve year old Dipper. His eyes were black sockets and glowed with a dark energy as he paced around the circle. Dipper’s barrier was gone. Mabel saw the gem on his wrist was shattered.

Her brother was pacing an equal distance. The look on his face made her sick. He had a hungry look like a wolf staring at a sheep.

“Oh my god…” Stanford said. “We did this to him.”

Stan put a hand on his brother's shoulder. “You were right… it was necessary.”

Mabel tried to run to him but Stan grabbed her and held her to him. He covered her mouth to keep her from screaming.

The twelve year old Dipper lunged at him. Dipper sidestepped and grabbed his wrist. Her stomach twisted hearing the sound of bone breaking. She saw her younger brother writhe in pain, get up and rush the hunter Dipper who broke his other arm.

“You will not hurt them” He said in a cold voice. “I will not _let_ you hurt them!”

“Pinetree…” Billeah said. Her eyes wide with terror. “Oh no… Pinetree, no!”

Stanford caught hold of Billeah who tried to run in. Dipper grabbed his staff and swung it as hard as he could. Mabel heard ribs cracking as he repeatedly beat his twelve year old self. Any sense of danger was gone from the black eyed child. He was now a cowering boy, sobbing as Dipper beat him.

Dipper dropped his staff and stood over his younger self.

“Mabel!” young Dipper called. His face lit up with a smile. He crawled slowly towards her. “Mabel I’m here! I’m back… I watched… I’m sorry... I should have trusted you… I should have… Rick promised to bring me back to you… he made that happen!”

Something cold fell over Mabel. Dipper walked over to the crawling boy and slowly knelt down. Mabel shook her head frantically and couldn’t scream to stop him. Dipper wrapped his arm around the boy’s neck and lifted him up.

The young boy’s face filled with fear. His broken arms couldn’t even reach up as Dipper’s strong arms tightened around his throat.

Dipper stared at Mabel and Billeah whose screams were muffled by Stan and Stanford’s hands.

“It has to be done Mabel… we have to stop it…” Stan said in her ear. She closed her eyes but still hear a distinctive snap.

She didn’t want to open them and heard the sound of something drop on the floor. Her chest hurt… she felt it… she felt it!

Stan let her go. She could barely stand.

“Dipper…” Wendy said. Her mouth was covered. The hunter look was still in his eye. Slowly he walked back to where his staff and her axe were and he picked them up. Walked back and returned the axe to Wendy. Pacifica’s expression was stone cold.    

Dipper stood in front of Stan and looked up at him.

“I made the hard choice.” was all he said.

“No… the pine tree fell… the pine tree fell.” Billeah said. She was on her knees pulling her hair.

“I’m here… I won.” Dipper said.

“No… you don’t understand… I lied. I lied for you.” Billeah whimpered over and over. Mabel’s stomach dropped.

She walked over to the crumpled remains and nudged it with her foot. The inky blackness was gone from young Dipper’s eyes; they stared off, not focusing on anything.

“It won’t go away…” Mabel said, her voice shuttered. “When the unicorn died… it turned to mud.”

“Mabel…” Dipper said. His voice sounded like he was starting to come back to them.

“Dipper… it’s fake… right? It’s not real? It’s just a shape shifter… or … or, oh god...” Mabel said and collapsed. Her hand was trembling “That scar… his appendix.”

Mabel reached for his hand, and pulled it out from under his back. There was a gold bracelet on it that matched the one she wore... Mabel dropped the hand in horror and scooted away.

“Mabel...” Dipper said and ran to her.

“DON’T TOUCH ME!” She screamed.

Everyone was silent. Mabel couldn’t control herself. She crawled over to the still form of her brother. The scar, the bracelet she gave him. She didn’t think about it, and figured the bracelet they bought together was destroyed in the accident… and he was burned where the incision was. Who was he? Who was the man that invaded their lives and… and killed her brother!

“HE WAS TRYING TO GET BACK!” She sobbed. “HE WAS TRYING TO PROTECT ME FROM YOU! YOU BEAT HIM! WHY DIDN’T YOU STOP? WHY DIDN’T ANY OF YOU LET ME STOP HIM!’

Mabel couldn’t see, all she could do was cradle her brother. She felt a part of her die at that moment.

“No… no, no, no!” Billeah sobbed. “Mabel! Don’t!”

“I hate you…” she choked. “I hate you both.”

The same pain in her chest when Robbie died, Soos left, Dipper defeating Gideon, and when she watched her brother die, stabbed her again. She didn’t care anymore.

*           *           *

Dipper watched his sister crying over the creature he killed. Billeah was hysterical and not making any sense. He won… what was happening?

Silently the stone monoliths levitated in the air. They saw the long blocks spin like a clock and slowly slide together.

“No… It’s broken… it’s all broken.” Billeah said as she rocked back and forth.

Dipper watched as the monoliths formed a giant square. A mouth formed, and two arms and legs seemed to pour out of the stone. When they were formed, a bowler hat seemed to grow out of its head.

Its mouth opened and gave a chilling laugh.

“Thank you, Dipper. You worked out quite well.” The creature said.

“Billeah. For one coin I fully release you!” Dipper screamed and lunged for Billeah. Billeah’ eyes flashed a glowing blue and her hand was covered in blue fire. Dipper reached, but his cousin was levitated up out of his grasp.

“Oh, I don’t think so…” Rick’s booming voice said. “Bill, what a quaint form. So fragile.”

“Kill me then, Rick.” Billeah spat.

“Oh ho ho, you think I’m stupid? None of our kind has done what you have. We don’t know the consequences.” Rick shook Billeah like a doll and turned her upside down. He brought her close to his mouth and blew on her. She seemed to convulse and go limp. “Hahaha… so frail…”

“What did you do to her?” Dipper screamed.

“I did what she’s yearned for all these years… I opened her consciousness. All of her overmind is now available to her… sadly; the information is too much for her tiny brain. She’s trapped in her own mind… I’ve taken the liberty to ensure she will never age or die. Her lust for mortality shall be her eternal prison!”

“I defeated your monster… How could you be here?” Dipper screamed and threw his staff fruitlessly at the monolith.

“My monster? Didn’t you figure it out? She lied to you! When you disrupted your little bubble… sorry… I need to speak in smaller terms. When you destroyed your universe… Bill re-created it… made some changes and plopped you right in… You’re a smart boy; you know two objects can’t occupy the same space. So at the moment of your little ‘accident’ she swapped… you for him.” Rick said with a deep chuckle. “When I found him, he was already clawing his eyes out with madness. I gave him a way to take his life back. The one that you stole.”

Dipper couldn’t believe it. Rick dropped Billeah. She fell what seemed like forever, and landed like a rag doll. Her leg was twisted at an impossible angle, and her head was to the side.

“What are you going to do with us?” Stan shouted. “You won now!”

“I don’t want you to think me cruel.” Rick said. He waved his hand and the jar Pacifica clung to was pulled from her arms. Rick regrew his avatars and set them in front of him. “You can choose… I will not harm or destroy you no matter your choice. Your insignificant lives will not hinder my plans.”

Two doors appeared in front of him; one red, one white.

“The red door will mark you, I will always know you and your dealings, but you shall still know yourself. Should you move against me… there will be consequences.” Rick said. “The white door will renew you. These events will be cleaned away and you go back to your lives like this never happened.”

“Can you bring him back?” Mabel said. “Bring him back and I’ll go through the white door!”

“Mabel, no!” Dipper shouted. She gathered up her brother in her arms and walked to the doors. Rick waved his hand and the white door opened.

“I assure you, if you go through the white door… you will have a brother waiting for you on the other side.”  

“Mabel, come back!” Dipper screamed. Mabel looked back at him with cold and hollow eyes and stepped forward. The door slammed shut behind her.

Dipper fell to his knees. He felt someone next to him. He looked up to see Pacifica. She helped him to his feet and put her arm through his and held his hand.

Wendy stepped forward.

‘I… I want the white door…” she stammered, she kept glancing at Dipper with a look of horror on her face. “I can’t… I can’t get that out of my mind… I want to forget Dipper killing that boy…”

“Wendy!” Dipper protested. He reached out to her and Wendy jerked away and shook her head..

“I thought I knew you… I… the Dipper I loved could never be so cruel.” Wendy said and walked through the white door.

“Go…” he said to Stan and his Grandfather. “I’ll be ok. Go through the white one.”

“Like hell we will.” Stan said and stormed through the red door. Stanford followed suit and made a rude gesture at Rick.

Blendin stood next to Dipper and was playing with his fingers. “I… I don’t know what to do… if I forget; it will cause an anomaly…”

Dipper looked to Pacifica.

“My place is with you… no matter what.” She said. “I saw what you gave up to protect us; I won’t throw that sacrifice away.”

Dipper grabbed Blendin’s arm and pulled him next to him. He walked with the two of them up to the crumpled form of Billeah and looked at her.

“Pacifica, go get McGucket…” Dipper said. Pacifica ran back and helped up the old quivering man. His mind seemed to have checked out and she led him up to Dipper.

Dipper gathered up Billeah in his arms and looked up at Rick. His giant mouth grinned from ear to ear.

“Have you chosen?” he said. Dipper nodded.

“I choose neither!” He shouted. Pacifica grabbed ahold of him and Dipper pulled out the spare Time-Tape. He snatched Blendin’s’ working one and shoved them together

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING!” Blendin screamed. Rick waved his hand and Officer Blubs and Agent Powers drew their firearm and unloaded their guns. Blendin dove in front of Dipper and used himself as a human shield. Blendin hugged his time-tape while Dipper clung onto the future version, and they both winked out of existence.

“WHAT JUST HAPPENED?!” Rick bellowed. “WHERE ARE THEY?!” 


	22. Invictus

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Out of the night that covers me,  
> Black as the pit from pole to pole,  
> I thank whatever gods may be  
> For my unconquerable soul.  
> In the fell clutch of circumstance  
> I have not winced nor cried aloud.  
> Under the bludgeonings of chance  
> My head is bloody, but unbowed.  
> Beyond this place of wrath and tears  
> Looms but the Horror of the shade,  
> And yet the menace of the years  
> Finds, and shall find me, unafraid.  
> It matters not how strait the gate,  
> How charged with punishments the scroll,  
> I am the master of my fate:  
> I am the captain of my soul  
> \- Invictus by William Earnest Henry

November

Dipper sat up and coughed. Looking around, he saw they were in the middle of a twenty foot crater in the middle of the woods.

“How?” Pacifica choked out and coughed up some dirt. “How did we get here?”

“I had an idea when I summoned Blendin… when I pressed the two time tapes together.. they pushed back like when you press two magnets together… The event’s weren’t adding up. It was a gamble that my insane idea would shoot Blendin back to where he was and give me the time tape. I was surer it was the right idea, when he was shot.”

Dipper held the time tape. It was completely shorted out. He put it back in his jacket pocket.

“Will he be all right?” She asked. Dipper nodded.

“I’d like to think so… maybe I can find a way to contact him again.” Dipper said.

“What do we now? I’m sure they’re looking for us.”

Dipper thought to himself and looked down at Billeah. He felt Pacifica behind him and wrap her arms around him.

“Is McGucket ok?” Dipper asked.

“He looks to be sleeping.” She said.

“You still have the neuralizer?” Dipper said.

“No… I won’t let you do that to me.” Pacifica protested. “I know what’s going on in that head of yours… I won’t let you leave me here alone while you go off into the woods and live like a crazy person and try to carry out your… whatever plan.”

Dipper turned to her and smiled. He pulled her face to his and gave her a kiss.

“Now who's crazy? They’d find me after all. Go and wake him up.” Dipper said. Pacifica blushed and shook the sleeping old man.

“Ghwa what? Where am I? OH no... It happened again, didn’t it?” McGucket said and looked around like a scared animal. “What did I do this time?”

“McGucket, you’re ok… Come here and look at my cousin could you?’

McGucket scampered over to Dipper and looked at her.

“She’s sleeping…” he said.

“She’s frozen… You can erase memories… can you access them as well? Like tap into her mind so we can talk?”

McGucket’s face froze and he slowly went walleyed, then his pupils snapped forward again. With a stern look he nodded.

“Give me the neuralizer gun.” Dipper asked. Pacifica held it out, but refused to give it to him.

“Can you make this explode?” Dipper asked. McGucket nodded. “Ok… Can you make it explode… and make it look like we got our minds wiped… but not fry our brains is what I’m asking.”

“Let’s see…” He said and snatched the gun from Pacifica’s hand. He opened it up and fiddled with it while scratching his ear with his toe. “Just close your eyes before it explodes.”

Dipper barely had time to cover his eyes and shield Pacifica when the gun whined and emitted a huge flash of light. Dipper blinked back the stars and McGucket’s face was slack.

“He… didn’t close his eyes.” Pacifica said softly. She looked down at the gun in his hand, the wires and bulbs were black and frayed, it looked beyond repair.

“McGucket? Dipper said. He heard the sound of helicopters in the distance. Pacifica looked up, trying to find where they’re coming from.  Dipper smiled when McGucket locked eyes with him. For the first time since he’s known the man, his eyes were clear and bright… the insanity that riddles his mind full of holes was gone. He held his finger to his lips, and Dipper made a zipping motioning to his. McGucket’s eyes slid back to their crossed and glazed look.

“Pacifica…” Dipper said. “You don’t remember the last twelve hours… go that? We were home cleaning up the mess… then nothing. NO matter what they say… what they do… that’s what happened.”

“What about her?” she asked, pointing to Billeah.

“I’m thinking…” Dipper said. He could hear the helicopters fast approaching. He climbed out of the crater with Billeah in his arms. His heart leapt when he saw a familiar peak. He was in Gary’s territory. Dipper’s eyes scanned the trees. He saw a massive pine and ran full speed to it with Billeah in his arms. Pacifica followed close behind.

“What are you doing?” She said out of breath.

“I’m her pine tree…” Dipper said. He closed his eyes and pushed out with all his might his intentions. The tree pixies came out of the branches and surrounded him with their song and dance. He willed them a question… will they protect her?

“Dipper…” Pacifica trailed off.

The pine tree Dipper picked split open down the middle. Dipper set her inside and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

“I’ll fix this… I know I keep saying this, but I’ll come back for you… We’ll fix this together. But for now, sleep. Dance and play in your head… and be wrapped up in your pine tree. I’ll always protect you.”

The sprites spun around the tree, reforming the bark to hide the secret package it kept. Dipper grabbed Pacifica’s hand and ran back to the crater. He was relieved to see they made it in time. It took the helicopters another five minutes to land. Agent Trigger and Powers burst out of the chopper and ran to greet them. They covered the three of them in a blanket and bagged McGucket’s Memory gun.

*           *           *

“You going to RSVP?” Stan asked Mabel. His craggy gaze stared disapprovingly at Mabel who tossed the white invitation on the table.

“Why should I? He abandoned all of us.” She snapped. She tossed a can of tomato soup in the microwave and set it to cook. She swore as sparks flew inside, and tore the door opened to retrieve the can. She poured it into a bowl and threw it back in.

“You… You can’t just _not_ go... It’s Dipper’s wedding! He’s your brother!” Stanford said.

“Tyrone needs me… That’s the brother I have to take care of. I didn’t choose to graduate early and go off to college and abandon all of us just to impress the local rich girl. I can’t take the time off and he’s not fit to travel.” Mabel snapped. “I’m sure I’ll see it on the news anyway. Another big Pines merger and such.”

“Mabel.” Stanford said. She walked around him and brought the soup over to her other twin Tyrone. He’d always been smaller and weaker than her and Dipper. The complications of his birth left him… special.

“Hey, Tyrone… How ya doing! You like the new sweater I knitted you?” Mabel said and kissed her brother on the head.   

Tyrone’s gaze didn’t even reach her. His arms and legs were contorted beyond repair, and his neck twisted to the side, the result of an accident that happened just after their parents died. Dipper was always resentful of it, because it was his fault. She warned him that Tyrone was too weak to climb the tree, but Dipper egged him on.

Tyrone always looked up to Dipper, like she did. She learned her lesson. You can’t trust or rely on anyone. She promised herself to always be there for her brother, and that she’d never leave him, even if he couldn’t see her or show her that he knows she’s there.

“Oh, silly, you spilled some...” She giggled and wiped  the tomato soup. “After this… I’ll get out the sock puppets ok?”

“Stan…” Stanford said. “I don’t know how much I can take of this.”

“We promised Dipper to watch her… and we will.”

They left the hall and casually glanced at a carved square in the wall, it’s lips formed a slight smile. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading Part 2 of my Gravity Falls Reboot AU. 
> 
> Look for Gravity Falls - Emersus to find out what happens to everyone after this!
> 
> If you enjoyed my writing, check out my book Rozen Chronicles: The Onyx Ring. It's available on Amazon, Kobo, iTunes and Barns and Noble in both eBook and physical copies!


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